What Makes Bones Hard? Can You Make ‘Rubber’ Bones by Removing Minerals?

Experimental Procedure:

• After your next meal of chicken, save the chicken bones.
• Wash and clean them thoroughly (but gently) under warm water
• Allow to dry
• Place the bones in the jar
• Pour in enough vinegar to completely cover the bones
• Each day check each bone, discover whether the smaller bones become ‘rubbery’ before the larger, thicker bones
• Let the bones sit for three days total (add a lid to hide the smell)
• Pour out the vinegar and remove the bones from the jar

Data Gathering:

Are the bones bendable?

Type of Bone	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Wishbone	No	Yes	Yes
Leg Bone	No	Yes	Yes
Other	No	Some of the smaller bones (neck)	Yes
Cocoa Pebbles	10%	N	None

Analysis:

Bones are made of calcium and phosphorous compounds. These minerals are responsible for making bones hard and stiff. By introducing vinegar, a mild acid, we are able to dissolve these minerals leaving the remaining materials in the bone flexible. It is possible to turn a regular chicken bone into a ‘rubber’ bone.

Bibliography:

Bone,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone

Bone Formation & Healing,
http://projectskeletal.tripod.com/boneform.htm

Bone,
http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/histomanual/bone.html

Bone Formation,
http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/histology/labmanual2002/labsection1/boneform&synovialjoints03.htm

Basic Bone Biology,
http://www.iofbonehealth.org/health-professionals/about-osteoporosis/basic-bone-biology.html

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