Fizzy Egg Dyeing in 5 Steps

 

Materials you'll need

• Eggs
• Baking soda
• Food coloring (multiple colors)
• Paintbrush
• Small cup
• Citric acid
• Water
• Clear plastic cup
• Tray or baking pan (to catch overflow)
• Spoon

 

Step-by-step tutorial

Step 1: In a small cup, mix baking soda with a few drops of food coloring to make a colorful paste. Repeat with different colors if you'd like to use more than one!

Step 2: Use a paintbrush to paint your eggs with the baking soda and food coloring paste. Cover as much of the egg as you like because the more color, the more dazzling the reaction!

Step 3: Pour ¾ cup of warm water into a clear plastic cup, and set the cup inside a tray to catch any overflow.

Step 4: Add 3 teaspoons of citric acid to the warm water and stir until it dissolves.

Step 5: Use a spoon to carefully lower your painted egg into the citric acid solution, and watch the fizzing magic happen! Leave the egg in the solution for a minute or two, then lift it out to reveal your colorful dyed egg.

Learn more

The fizzing you see is a chemical reaction called an acid-base reaction. Baking soda is a base, and citric acid is — you guessed it — an acid! When they meet in water, they react and release carbon dioxide gas, the same bubbly gas found in your favorite fizzy drinks. As those tiny bubbles rush off the surface of the egg, they carry the food coloring from the baking soda paste along with them, spreading color across the eggshell and leaving behind a beautifully dyed egg.