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Make your own mummy...
If you've had enough of apple pies and apple crumble, how about
mummifying an apple?
What you need:
- Apple
- Knife
- 40 grams baking soda
- 80 grams table salt
- Two plastic cups
How to:
- Cut the apple in half. Eat one half - you won't need it for the
experiment.
- Cut the remaining half in half again. Put each piece of apple
into a separate cup.
- Mix together the baking soda and salt. Pour this on top of one
of the apple slices. Make sure the apple is completely
covered.
- Put the cups somewhere out of direct sunlight for one
week.
- After a week, pour the salt and baking soda mixture out of the
cup. What has happened to the apple slices? Is there a difference
between them?
You could make an apple mummy head! Draw a picture on an apple
with felt tips or marker pens. Cover the apple completely with a
baking soda and salt mixture and leave for a week. When you pour
away the baking soda and salt mixture you're left with your very
own apple mummy head!
What's happening?
You should see that one of your apple slices has rotted. The
slice covered in the salt and baking soda mixture hasn't rotted.
It's been mummified!
Salt and baking soda are desiccants. Desiccants
remove water from any material it comes into contact with. Bacteria
that cause rotting and decay need water to survive. Salt and baking
soda remove the water from the apple, which makes it hard for
bacteria to survive and cause decay.
Ancient Egyptians use a similar method to preserve human bodies
after death. They used natron, a naturally
occurring dessicant, to mummify bodies.