Bone Lab Report Essay

The bone sample has been soaking in vinegar with a pH of about 3.0 for a little over a week. The exterior of the bone remained intact the entire time. Once I removed the bone, I realized that the interior integrity of the bone was compromised. Now that the bone was exposed to the acid for such a long period of time, it was more flexible. The reason the long bone became so bendable is because the bone is largely made up of calcium salts. The vinegar broke the calcium phosphate down, leaving only collagen left. As we learned collagen is flexible so this made the bone bended easily. Calcium gives bone its strength and durability. Each time I changed the vinegar I was dumping the extracted calcium out. This shows how much of an important role calcium plays, without it bones would be flimsy. It also reveals how the structure of bone, having calcium, allows it to function properly for support and protection.

Examining the effects of
Heat on Bone
I was still intact, but once it began to cool down, it could not maintain its structure, and parts of it started to crumble. Just as vinegar broke down the calcium phosphate, heat denatured the collagen. In this experiment all that was left is the calcium. The collagen fibers were broken down and only the calcium remained. It left the bone hard but no longer slightly flexible. The central of the bone was so brittle it crumbled from even the slightest touch. Both experiments display why both collagen and calcium are so essential in maintaining bones integrity, without them the bone cannot execute its functions properly. The calcium provides the bone with the durability it needs while the collagen gives it some flexibility so than it can bend without