What cleans pennies better science project?

What cleans pennies better science project?

Create a solution of vinegar and salt using one teaspoon of salt and 1/4 of a cup of vinegar. Mix until the salt is dissolved (it helps if the vinegar is a little warm). Add the pennies. Wait about 5 minutes, then remove the pennies from the solution.

What liquid cleans pennies best science?

Your Materials For This Science Experiment & Steps Combined

1. Ketchup. Soak your pennies in ketchup to clean them like new.
2. Hot Sauce. Hot sauce, like Tabasco or taco sauce, also will remove the oxides off pennies.
3. Coke. Coke and off-brand colas will quickly remove the tarnish.
4. Citrus Juice.
5. Pencil Eraser.
6. Vinegar and Salt.

Does vinegar and salt make hydrochloric acid?

When vinegar is mixed with salt, the acetic acid in the vinegar reacts with the sodium chloride or salt to produce sodium acetate and hydrochloric acid. The hydrochloric acid is a strong acid.

Will lemon juice clean a penny?

The citric acid in the lemon juice reacts with the copper oxide coating on the outside of the penny and removes the coating. As a result, the original copper coating underneath can be seen, looking clean and shiny.

Does lemon juice clean pennies better than vinegar?

Ultimately, lemon juice will clean pennies better than vinegar, though both liquids are viable cleaning options for copper. This means that lemon juice is a slightly stronger acid than vinegar. The stronger the acid, the better it will clean copper pennies.

How do you clean a penny with Coke?

Simply place one coin in a glass or tub and pour coke over the top, enough so that it is fully submerged in the liquid. Leave the coin to soak for about 5 minutes or so and then check on its condition. If you feel that it needs longer, you can soak it for up to 15 minutes.

How do you clean pennies with toothpaste?

Don’t use toothpaste – Toothpaste is extremely abrasive. It can make your coins appear shiny, but cause significant damage to the surface. Don’t use ketchup – You might have learned in science class that dipping a penny in ketchup can restore their shine.

Should I clean old pennies?

In general, old coins should not be cleaned. While you might think that getting all the years of dirt and grime off a coin would make it more valuable, the opposite is actually true! By cleaning a coin, you may actually damage it and decrease its value. At worst, you could permanently damage the coin.

Why do pennies turn dull?

When oxygen binds with copper, they form a new molecule known as copper oxide. This is why most pennies you see look dirty or tarnished—it’s not actually dirt but copper oxide that makes them look so dull.

What are the rarest pennies?

These are the 20 most valuable pennies, and they’re worth a combined $5.5 million.

• Bottom Line: 1943 Bronze Lincoln Penny.
• Bottom Line: 1909 V.D.B.
• Bottom Line: 1943-S Lincoln Cent.
• Bottom Line: 1958 Doubled Die Obverse Lincoln Penny.
• Bottom Line: 1944-S Lincoln Steel Penny.
• Bottom Line: 1943 Bronze Lincoln Penny.

How does baking soda make pennies shiny?

Create a paste with two parts baking soda to one part water. Use a microfiber cloth to rub the paste over the pennies. This will bring the shine back to the penny. Rinse the pennies thoroughly and dry them with a soft towel.

Can baking soda clean pennies?

Wet the affected coin with clean tap or distilled water, roll in baking soda, then gently scrub with a soft toothbrush. Rinse the baking soda and debris off with more clean water, and repeat the steps if necessary.

How do you make pennies look new?

Copper oxide dissolves in a mixture of weak acid and table salt-and vinegar is an acid. You could also clean your pennies with salt and lemon juice or orange juice, because those juices are acids, too.

How can I make my pennies shiny at home?

Start by adding a quarter cup of white vinegar, or lemon juice, into a cup or glass. Mix a teaspoon of salt into the liquid by stirring until it is dissolved. Place your pennies at the bottom of the cup or glass so that they are not stacked on top of each other. Wait about five minutes and check your pennies.

Does vinegar make pennies shiny?

The vinegar made its penny shiny. Pennies become dull over time as copper on the surface reacts with oxygen from the air. The acetic acid in vinegar dissolves these chemicals and leaves the copper surface of the penny looking shiny.

How do you make coins shiny?

Follow These Steps:

1. In a jar, combine one cup vinegar (or lemon juice) and 1 tablespoon salt.
2. Pour the solution into the plastic container.
3. Add the coins in a single layer, so none of the coins are touching.
4. When you remove the coins and wipe them with a cloth or paper towel, they should look shiny.

Can you use toothpaste to clean silver?

Apply a bit of toothpaste to a microfiber cloth. Rub the silver until the tarnish is removed. Rinse with warm water and dry with a clean cloth.

Why does vinegar and salt clean pennies?

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!

Does salt and vinegar remove rust?

Use 1/4 cup of salt per liter of white vinegar. Pour enough vinegar into the bin to cover the tools. Sprinkle the appropriate amount of salt according the above ratio evenly over the surface. The vinegar and salt mixture need time to break down the rust.

What happens if you mix vinegar and salt?

The acetic acid of the vinegar reacts with the salt, or sodium chloride, to produce sodium acetate and hydrogen chloride.

Why do pennies turn green in vinegar?

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 do pennies not turn green?

The newer pennies are 95% zinc and 5% copper. Since they have ‘only’ been around for 70 years or so they don’t oxidize as much and they don’t turn green (not enough copper).