How does lemon juice clean copper?
Soaking a copper penny in lemon juice makes an old penny look new. Lemon juice removes the copper oxide coating. Adding salt to the lemon juice will clean the penny more effectively. This simple experiment is an easy way to demonstrate some basic scientific principles about oxidation and chemical reactions to children.
What happens when you put copper in vinegar?
When you put your dirty pennies in the vinegar and salt, the copper oxide and some of the copper dissolve in the water. That means some copper atoms leave the penny and start floating around in the liquid. So you’ve got positively charged iron ions floating in your vinegar with the positively charged copper ions.
Why does lemon juice Clean Copper best?
Why It Works Copper is exposed to air and elements over time, and it eventually oxidizes, forming copper oxide. The acid in the vinegar and lemon juice works only on the copper oxide, dissolving it to reveal the original copper luster underneath the film.
What happens when you clean pennies with lemon juice?
Pennies are made out of a metal called copper. 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!
Why do pennies get clean in vinegar?
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.
What takes the green off of copper?
Lemon Juice + Salt Create a paste with lemon juice (lime or orange juice works, too) and salt at a 3:1 ratio, respectively. Make sure salt is dissolved so as not to scratch the copper. Rub a small amount of paste on the soiled copper object with a clean cloth until you start to see the grime loosen up.
How do you tell if a coin is cleaned or not?
A cleaned coin will have a dull, bright look – one that on a well-circulated coin would seem unnatural. Old pennies that have been worn should not look bright orange and have flashy surfaces. Old, worn pennies should be medium to dark brown in color and have virtually no reflectivity on the surface at all.
Why is cleaning coins bad?
In general, numismatists will tell you that cleaning coins is a bad idea. They will even go so far as to tell you not to handle them except by holding them along their edges, and even then, with extreme care. Polishing or rubbing coins can cause unnatural shine or other damage, also reducing the value of your coins.