Article Summary
Posted by bio_man   Mar 8, 2018    5777 views

Since pearls are made mostly of calcium carbonate, the acid found in vinegar, known as acetic acid, will definitely dissolve one over a period of time. The same dissolution would occur if an egg were placed in a glass of vinegar and left to sit - the egg shell would disintegrate. Of course, the speed as which the pearl dissolves will depend on the concentration of the acid and the pearl's overall size. The reaction produces calcium acetate, water and carbon dioxide, summarized below:

\(\mathrm{CaCO_3+2CH_3COOH\ →\ Ca(CH_3COO)_2+H_2O+CO_2}\)

More Pearly Facts:

 Mollusks actually create pearls as a form of protection from foreign particles, sand and parasites. Natural pearls, though, are very rare in modern times due to a decline in mollusks as a result of pollution.

 Most pearls are cultured, or grown in mollusk farms with human intervention. Japanese entrepreneur Kokichi Mikimoto invented the process in 1888 when he started his pearl oyster farm. The company he started still sells pearl all over the world today.

 Don't bother looking for a pearl in a plate of oysters-on-the-half shell. Edible oysters don't produce nacre, a protein and mineral secretion required for pearl formation.

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