Sometimes, all you need is some glue, some baking soda or a few old pennies. Ask them questions, have them tell you what they see happening. Again, make sure the penny is completely covered by Ketchup. by Brenda Priddy | Jul 12, 2017 | Homeschool |. Stir until the salt dissolves. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Isnt that amazing? This blue-green is called malachite and copper can turn into malachite over many years of exposure to chlorine and oxygen. The answer is pretty simple before 1982, pennies were made almost entirely from copper, and modern pennies are made of copper-plated zinc. Penny lab experiment conclusion. Cleaning Pennies Science Experiment 1. Cleaning Penny Experiment Teaching Resources | Teachers Pay Teachers Take the dirty copper pennies (the ones from the bottom of your purse are best) and have your child place one into each cup. The step-by-step instructions included in this digital product are easy to follow and are accompanied by colorful illustrations that make the . For a complete clean, flip the pennies over and repeat the process on the other side. Stir until the salt dissolves. You might be surprised at how well the ketchup cleaned the penny. Finally, after about 30 minutes to 1 hour, look at the coins again. So in our case, we looked at the ingredients. CokeCoke and off-brand colas will quickly remove the tarnish. Washing the pennies in a vinegar and salt solution removes the patina from the pennies, exposing the brighter copper underneath once more. Over time, pennies form a layer of copper oxide on the surface of the penny, which actually protects it from further corruption. So when the coin stays in your pocket or is passed from person to person or stays in that container where you keep all your pennies, the copper in the coin reacts with the oxygen in the air and turns into what is called copper oxide. Clean Pennies - Utah Education Network She's worked as a freelance copywriter and fiction writer for over a decade. Smell), Science Fair Project For Kids: Demonstrating How Plants Help Stop Soil Erosion, 10 Great Inventors Books To Inspire Young Children, DIY Bath Bomb for Kids Fun Science Experiments For Kids, Best Books To Get Your Kids to Fall in Love With Math Teach Approved, 5 old copper pennies (these coins need to be copper for this experiment to work), 5 strips of paper (for labelling each penny), A pen and paper for jotting down the results, 5 different liquids to use to clean your pennies. 10 very dirty pennies (the dirtier the better! Wait about 5 minutes, then remove the pennies from the solution. 'Dry Ice Bubble, - Lesson 3 of 50 - Grades 4,5,6 Sign up to learn about our special events, clubs, camps, promotions and school programs. The acid in vinegar, like in citrus, is what really takes the tarnish away. Mix until the salt is dissolved (it helps if the vinegar is a little warm). How does time affect the cleanliness of the pennies? So if you look at the coin in the vinegar solution, it made the old coin a little bit brighter and less brown. Place a paper clip in each cup of vinegar and salt solution. So 1st cup will have catsup, 2nd will have coke, and so on. Next should either be the soda/fruit juice or vinegar (sometimes these switch depending on what type of each you have used) because their pH is usually around 3, so they are mildly acidic. What is changing? Have you ever wondered why some pennies are shiny and some are dull? Put 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice and 1 teaspoon of salt into each Lemon cup. Label this column "Cleaning Method." The next column, label "1 Minute." And label the third column "5 Minutes." Make each cell (square) of the table large enough to place your penny in it after. Thank you for sharing! I use this specifically to teach them the. 6. Put 1 tablespoon of Vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt into each Vinegar cup. Chemical reactions, acidity, copper oxidation. Pour cup of baking soda into one of your plastic cups. Once there's a working hypothesis, the experiment itself can begin. 2 teaspoons salt. Place each of the pennies in the 1 minute column into their corresponding cup. Now, when copper reacts to oxygen, it turns dark brown to make copper oxide. Dont be afraid to use all your senses. Step 1 Fill a glass cup with vinegar and pour it in a non-metallic bowl. Since we have 6 different liquids here, its best to properly label each cup. from Science Buddies http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-activities. Your kids will love this simple chemistry experiment. Whether you've got toddlers or grandparents to entertain, family nights are the p, Antique Christmas Houses for a Victorian Village Display, From sitting on brick firework mantles to placed underneath genuine fir Christmas trees, people have been displaying their ceramic or plastic holiday town scenes for decades. Begin the experiment by placing a few pennies on a small plate. In this activity, were going to test a few different methods for cleaning pennies, and determine which gets our pennies the cleanest. Ketchup Soak your pennies in ketchup to clean them like new. (Dont believe me? Take the penny from the Ketchup,1 minutes square of your table, and place it in the Ketchup 1 cup. Most of these aren't substances that are typically used to clean, which is part of makes guessing how they will affect the pennies more fun. Which method works best is determined by the amount of acid present, and the presence of salt. Remember to be sensible and dont let them near any dangerous liquids like petroleum or bleach kids may come up with a few silly answers for fun, but as the adult, you need to draw the line at what is fun and what could be potentially dangers. My goal is to encourage moms, find practical parenting solutions, and help moms with the unique challenges twins bring! Were there any cleaning methods where the time didnt matter, so the 1 minute and 5 minute pennies are equally clean? The Salt And Vinegar Method. This is why most pennies you see look dirty or tarnished, its not actually dirt, but copper-oxide that makes them look so dull. Wait about 5 minutes, then remove the pennies from the solution. Have your kids write down their findings on their piece of paper ready to summarize their findings and talk through the explanation. When you are done with this fun experiment, check outMaking Pennies Green. Step 3: Dump all the pennies into the liquid. are shinier than others, learn the meaning of a hypothesis by watching a video (link to website), make a hypothesis, graph their hypothesis, are dull and how they become shiny. I have included 4 recording sheets to go along. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. What do you see? I love coming up with simple and fun learning and STEM activities for kids. Repeat the process until the penny reaches the desired shininess. Remember that copper turns dark brown when reacting with oxygen? Then write and draw your observations. The oxygen in the air and the copper in the pennies form an oxide that coats the pennies and makes them look dirty. Educational Toys And Child Development Research Studies. Its acid! There is a second stage to this experiment that you can also try out while you are talking to your kids about their results from the first stage. Copper oxide is the dull dark color that covers old coins the older a copper coin is, the more copper oxide it has coating its surface. MAKE IT AN EXPERIMENT. Extra: Experiment with even longer periods of time with each of the cleaning methods. When the oxygen and the copper on the coins' outsides interact, a substance called copper oxide is formed. This takes more work than the others, however. Stir in about one teaspoon of salt and mix until it dissolves. Are you getting the free resources, updates, and special offers we send out every week in our teacher newsletter? 2002-2023 LoveToKnow Media. Add the pennies. Hypothesis: If I put a copper penny in coca cola, soap and water,. Science - Lesson 1 of 50 - Grades 4,5,6 Which one is still the dirtiest? Set one penny aside to act as your control. You also may have noticed that the longer the pennies stayed in the cleaning solution, the cleaner they became! Great for President's Day! The friction does the work. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Ketchup also contains a lot of salt, which helps add to its acidity. We had a blast, a physical example of chemical weathering, by looking at how the soda coke (or a generic version), . Can you clearly see Abraham Lincoln? All you need is a couple of old copper coins, some different liquids and a few other tools. And it even had added acetic acid! Its a great way to get their young minds critically thinking, and also challenges them to solve problems using logic. If you want things to be fun and messy, you can always have your kids use their hands as long as you are happy to deal with the consequences of ketchup-coated fingers! For cleaning up, I used a variety of materials such as lemon, vinegar and salt, water, water with soap. Add the salt, and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. I'm so happy you're here!! The classic coin cleaning experiment is an easy and affordable way to get your kids interested in science. Check the coins, then come back again in another 30 minutes and see what has happened to the coins. The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. This activity helps students to see and experience the properties of water- including Adhesion, Cohesion, and Surface Tension. As in ketchup, salt and vinegar are both in hot sauce. Luckily, there are a number of ways to clean pennies and make them look bright and shiny again, using chemistry! The salt helps speed up the reaction. It also benefits your kid in a lot of ways too. In this activity were going to explore why pennies dont stay bright and shiny, and test different methods to bring the shine back! Its that dull dark. This product is designed to teach people how to clean old, tarnished pennies using simple household items such as vinegar and salt. Thanks a lot Meriley. You simply place a, in three types of solutions, I chose water, soap/water, and salt/vinegar but you can change the solutions if you like (the sheet is editable). Create a solution of vinegar and salt using one teaspoon of salt and 1/4 of a cup of vinegar. Its not just dependent on how old the pennies are. This is also why the salt and vinegar mixture was a better coin cleaner than just vinegar alone. What changes could you make to the experiment to get even cleaner pennies? Make three signs that say "Tomato Paste + Vinegar," "Salt + Vinegar," and "Tomato Paste + Salt.". Copper oxide dissolves in a mixture of weak acid and table salt. Mix one tablespoon of salt with half a cup of vinegar in a small container and stir until the salt dissolves. But we think that that alone could not clean coins this quickly. HOW TO CLEAN PENNIES| SCIENCE EXPERIMENT - YouTube The chemical reaction that dissolves the copper oxide on your pennies is an ongoing process. Thats great to know Aayeshi. You should have observed that each cleaning method made the pennies cleaner, but some methods may have been more successful than others. Let the pennies sit in the soda overnight. This product is designed to teach people how to clean old, tarnished, using simple household items such as vinegar and salt. Place a square of clean, white paper towel in front of each cup. Place the pennies in the bowl, and allow them to sit for several minutes. I'm giving you a shout out on the post. This dirt is actually copper oxide. Penny lab experiment conclusion.By comparison, the old pre-1982 copper pennies were 95% copper and 5% zinc with a density of 8. The pennies have become tarnished as the copper coating reacts with oxygen in the air and forms a copper oxygen compound, which makes the pennies appear brown. This way, you wont mix up the coins when it comes to comparing them. Learn how your comment data is processed. Water is the worst because it is a neutral liquid, meaning that it sits smack in the middle of the pH scale. Gently wipe off any excess solution with a paper towel. If you enjoyed this cleaning pennies experiment, you'll love: Wow! A great way to do this is by doing fun science experiments with your kid at home. The child might decide to pick a winning solution or even to rank the pennies in order of which is the most improved. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission is strictly prohibited. (You may need to push the one in the catsup to get it fully submerged). What will happen when the liquid cleans the coin? Thanks for sharing! Simple, any age students! Put one penny in each of the liquids and make sure it's fully submerged. How to Clean Sunglasses Without Scratching Them. Try other materials containing small amounts of acid to see which produces the best results. A teacher's notes page explains how to use, 50-IN-1 BUNDLE (Set 1 of 1) - Grades 4,5,6, What is in this '50-IN-1 BUNDLE'? Ketchup is a weak acid (from the vinegar), and this acid breaks down the copper oxide. Leave the paper clip in the solution overnight. 2023 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Students will create a booklet or for a quicker project, just print the worksheet. You don't have to do the 2nd one, but it's also a good scientific experiment and you'll even find out why the Statue of Liberty is the color that it is. Lesson and Program Overview: 2 colour pages After that you won't see anything happen. 1. TEN Quick and Easy Science Experiments for Kids! One option is to incorporate the use of pH paper (which measures how basic or acidic something is when the paper is dipped into a substance) to help the child further understand why some of the solutions may work better than others. Then, you should have more acidic solutions like ketchup and the salt and vinegar mixture. Dish soap. In this activity you experimented with 4 different cleaning methods to determine which was the most effective at cleaning pennies. Today is the day you take out your old coins and declare this day, coin cleaning day. This packet includes a direction list/timeline for the teacher, class observation form, 2 different CER responses (one, and one without a graphic organizer) AND an opportunity for students to graph and a, , and Which Type of Water Works Best? The acids (usually vinegar - acetic acid) break the copper oxide free from the penny. In this experiment, if the water is corrosive enough to strip off the copper oxide then you will see the progress of the reaction by watching the pennies go from dull and dingy to bright and shiny. Can you think of other safe household acids you could test? Science Experiment: How to Clean Pennies - Teach Beside Me We're going to try this out today! In each case, make sure the penny is completely covered by the contents of the cup. Chemical reactions are responsible for the change in a pennys appearance over time. Once all the pennies are in the correct cup, use the remaining time to observe the pennies, and the contents of the cup. While copper is a beautiful metal, it is also reactive. Use your paper and pencil to create a table like the one below. Start by placing the Ketchup, 5 minutes penny into the cup labeled Ketchup 5. After 10 minutes, use your tweezers to take the coins out of each cup. Continue to place each penny in the 5 minutes column in its corresponding cup. Thats Chemistry in action for you! We use cookies and those of third party providers to deliver the best possible web experience and to compile statistics. Science - Lesson 4 of 50 - Grades 4,5,6 Which one is the cleanest? If this experiment is being used for a science fair or class presentation, the young scientist has the option to either take photos of each penny with a label for which solution was used or even to bring the pennies themselves in. Students will create a booklet or for a quicker project, just print the worksheet. The pennies have become tarnished as the copper coating reacts with oxygen in the air and forms a copper oxygen compound, which makes the pennies appear brown. I have an easy science experiment for you today. When copper reacts with oxygen and chlorine, it turns blue-green instead! Place a penny on each square of your table, heads side up. This will help them understand whats going on. 'Balloon Powered Rocket, that looks at what house hold solutions will be best to. After a few minutes, remove the pennies from the bowl, and rinse them with water. (Or have a fun science fair project?) Water. Before we started our cleaning pennies experiment, I talked to my kids about what they thought would happen when we placed pennies into some soda. After 10 minutes, take the coins out of the cups and lay them out on some kitchen paper but do not dry them! And be sure to share these additional fun learning activities with your kids! This is a weak acid, which is good since we ingest it. The "Penny Cleaning Experiment" is a product that provides a fun and educational activity for children and adults alike.This product is designed to teach people how to clean old, tarnished pennies using simple household items such as vinegar and salt. Thanks for the rare idea to wash penny. Here is how to set up your cleaning pennies experiment. Label each cup with a pen so you and your kids know what liquid is in each up. But sometimes those pennies you see on the ground look anything but lucky. See a penny pick it up, all day long youll have good luck! maybe youve heard this phrase before, and maybe youve even stopped to pick up a lucky penny off the sidewalk. Science Activity: Turn Old Pennies Bright and Shiny! | Exploratorium Vinegar and lemon juice are both acids. Please supervise your children during all activities. we do during the week of Presidents' Day or when we are talking about coins in Math. Lesson contains However, over time, they turn dull and dark. In the third cup, put 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 teaspoons of salt. Students should also be able to identify if this change is chemical or physical. Using the tape and marker, label each dish or cup with the name of the solution that will go into it. After cups are put away, remove goggles. Oranges? Do not add anything to the cup. Salt is another compound called sodium chloride, so it contains a chemical called chlorine (like what we use in swimming pools to keep them clean).