- glass or see through plastic cup.
- can of Coke or Pepsi.
- dirty pennies.
What makes a penny clean?
Vinegar (or Lemon Juice) and Salt This method is the best way to clean your pennies, and it will produce a very bright orangey-copper color on your pennies. It does this by using the low levels of acids that are contained naturally in vinegar and lemon juice to remove the patina (brown oxidation) on the penny.
What type of chemical reaction is cleaning pennies?
Pennies get dull and dirty because the copper in the pennies reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper oxide. When you put your pennies in a vinegar and salt mix, the vinegar and salt react together and remove the copper oxide.
How do you clean a penny experiment?
- Guess which liquid will make a penny shine.
- Set one penny aside.
- In one cup, pour enough vinegar to cover the penny.
- In the other cup, pour enough liquid soap to cover the penny.
- Wait at least ten minutes.
- Remove the pennies, rinse them in water and rub them with a paper towel.
- Compare all three pennies.
What happens when you leave a penny in Coke?
PENNIES ARE MADE OF COPPER, WHICH WILL DISSOLVE IN THE PRESENCE OF ACID, ONE OF THE MAIN INGREDIENTS IN ALL SODA IS PHOSPHORIC ACID. THE pH of soda is quite low, due to the phosphoric acid content. a penny will eventually dissolve in any aqueous solution with a low pH…
What happens when you put a coin in Coke?
Does Coke Damage Coins? Coke includes phosphoric acid which is the active ingredient that cleans the coins. However, if you let it sit for too long, it will damage the surface (and therefore the value) of your coins. Just like in life — do everything in moderation and you will be fine!
Which substance cleans a penny the best?
The salt and acetic acid in vinegar do the trick. Hot sauce, like Tabasco or taco sauce, also will remove the oxides off pennies. As in ketchup, salt and vinegar are both in hot sauce. Coke and off-brand colas will quickly remove the tarnish.
What liquid cleans coins the best experiment?
Vinegar and lemon juice both work really well for cleaning pennies. But, ketchup was the clear winners for our pennies, with soy sauce next, maybe with a little more time they would have gotten a little bit cleaner.
Which soda cleans pennies the best science project?
Coke and off-brand colas will quickly remove the tarnish. Just don’t drink the coke afterward. Coke contains phosphoric acid that cleans the oxides.
Is cleaning a penny a chemical change?
This acid removes oxidation from pennies. Removing the copper oxide is a chemical change. The copper molecules in the vinegar and salt solution settle on paper clips after a period of time, but wipe off easily. This is not a chemical change.
Why does a penny change color?
As they are exposed to the environment, pennies become coated with a layer of copper oxide, making them look tarnished (with a dull, brown, dirty appearance). Copper oxide dissolves in a mixture of weak acid and table salt.
What reaction occurred to remove the rust from the penny?
The acetic acid in vinegar that dissolves copper oxide, and adding salt speeds up the process. Corroded pennies usually turn bright again in less than a minute.
Why does lemon juice clean a penny?
Pennies are made out of a metal called copper. The copper mixes with oxygen, the same gas that we breathe. This cause something called oxidation and makes the penny look dirty. Lemon juice has acid in it that removes the dirty color or oxidation and makes the penny nice and shiny again!
How do pennies turn green?
When copper is exposed to oxygen, it forms molecules called copper oxide that make pennies look dirty. Pouring vinegar over the pennies helps break up this copper oxide and expose the pure copper on the penny. As the penny dries and is exposed to the air, a chemical reaction occurs and the penny turns green!
Does a penny dissolve in Coke?
When the copper oxide (the pennies) and the phosphoric acid (the cola) get together in the bath, the acid reacts with the copper oxide on the pennies and dissolves it. That’s why the pennies get shiny.
How long does it take Coke to clean a penny?
Pour your coins into the bowl and fill with Coke. Let the coins soak in the soda for about 5 minutes, then check to see if the corrosion has washed away. If the coins still feel grimy, then you can return them to the bowl for up to 15 minutes. If left much longer than 15 minutes, the soda can dissolve the metals.
Can Coca cola clean copper?
Copper Cleaner Restore that bright sheen by soaking the copper bottom in a pan filled with Coke for about an hour. The acid in the Coke makes the copper look shiny and new—without scrubbing. This cleaning trick works on plenty of other household copper accents as well.
Can Diet Coke clean a penny?
Clean coins: If your coins look dull and you want to spruce them up, drop your money into a glass of Coke. Wait for a full day or overnight before pulling your coins out. Wipe with a rag and buff the coins — most of the grime will have come away. Clean toilet: Diet Coke is better than most chemical cleaners.
What makes a penny shiny?
Pennies are made of copper, and copper is shiny, but over time it becomes tarnished and appears black or brown because of copper oxide, which is created when copper bonds with oxygen. Acids mixed with salt help break down the copper oxide on the penny.
When a penny changes color is that a physical or chemical change?
A chemical reaction has occurred! A chemical reaction is the combination of two reactants to form something entirely new. A penny is made of copper. The vinegar on the paper towel helps the copper in the penny easily react with the oxygen in the air to form a blue-green colored compound called malachite.
Why does ketchup clean pennies the best?
Ketchup is a weak acid (from the vinegar), and this acid breaks down the copper oxide. The salt in the ketchup adds dissolved chloride ions that bond with the copper to form copper chloride, which allows the acid to break up even more copper oxide.
How does vinegar and salt clean pennies chemistry?
The combination of vinegar (a weak solution of acetic acid), and table salt (sodium chloride) helps to dissolve the copper oxide, and also forms the blue copper(II) ion, which is soluble in water. The penny becomes shiny again!
What happens when you heat a penny?
When the silver-colored penny is heated, the outside zinc atoms and inside copper atoms move around because of the heat excitement. This makes the outer layer of zinc mix with the copper below, which becomes an alloy called yellow brass.
Why do pennies turn yellow?
Toning is a term that describes the discoloration or light patina that forms on the surface of coins due to oxygen and chemicals in the air acting on the metal. This oxidation can result in a variety and level of toning and also depends on the properties of the metal – silver, gold, copper, nickel, etc.
What causes a penny to turn red?
Oxygen, water vapor, and various acids react with the copper and cause it to tarnish. This oxidation, combined with other chemical reactions, results in its natural bright reddish orange color to gradually turn into a deep chocolate brown color known as patina.