A chemistry professor at Catholic University, Bunce likes to bring science to life for her students through holiday-themed demonstrations. On April 19, she’ll explain the chemistry behind Easter egg dyeing at Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, Md., as part of the USA Science & Engineering Festival’s “Nifty Fifty (times two)” program. So what is the chemistry behind egg dyeing?
There’s a protein coating on the egg shell, and we have to get the negative molecule in the dye to attract to that protein, so we put a positive charge on it — that’s where the vinegar comes in. Vinegar is a very mild acid that releases positively charged hydrogen ions. You could dye eggs with hydrochloric acid instead, but that wouldn’t make them very edible.
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