- 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.
Does water or vinegar clean a penny better experiment?
The “dirt” on the pennies was a new chemical substance called copper oxide. It doesn’t easily come off, as you found out by trying to scrub them with plain water. When you
mix the salt and vinegar
, however, this makes a new substance, too; a type of acid. This acid is really good at breaking down the dirty pennies.
What cleans a penny best experiment?
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 is the best way to clean old pennies?
Vinegar & Salt
Mix up a concoction of vinegar and salt. Stir it around to dissolve the salt and then dump in your dirty pennies. Mix it up a bit and let it sit for several minutes. You will be able to see the cleaning process in action.
How do you make pennies shiny?
- Add vinegar to one bowl (enough to cover penny)
- Add soap to a second bowl (enough to cover penny)
- Add water to a third bowl (enough to cover penny)
- Make a hypothesis of which liquid will make a penny shine. …
- Wait 20 minutes. …
- Rinse pennies and dry with towel.
Does hydrogen peroxide clean pennies?
Hydrogen peroxide can prove effective in removing various materials, including organic material. To clean using this method, place your
coins in a small plastic container, fill with enough hydrogen peroxide to cover, and soak for 24 hours
.
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.
What happens when you soak a penny 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. … Like the copper atoms, each of the iron atoms that dissolves leaves two electrons behind.
How long do you soak pennies in vinegar?
Leave the pennies for
around five minutes
in the glass of vinegar or lemon juice. If they’re extra dirty or if you’re cleaning a lot simultaneously, give them a few more minutes for good measure.
Does vinegar make coins shiny?
Ordinary vinegar can be used to rid old coins of the gunk they’ve gathered over time. To restore pennies to their original luster, simply plop them into a solution of vinegar and salt, let them sit for a few minutes, then rinse them off and
watch them shine like new
.
How do professionals clean coins?
- In a jar, combine one cup vinegar (or lemon juice) and 1 tablespoon salt. …
- Pour the solution into the plastic container. …
- Add the coins in a single layer, so none of the coins are touching. …
- When you remove the coins and wipe them with a cloth or paper towel, they should look shiny.
Are wheat pennies worth anything?
Most wheat cents (wheat pennies were minted between 1909 and 1956) are worth
about 4 to 5 cents
. Those in better condition can have double-digit value. Special examples (especially those in near perfect condition) can be worth much more. Indian Head pennies from 1859 to 1879 are generally worth more than $10.
Does baking soda clean pennies?
Cleaning Coins With Baking Soda
As a gentle abrasive, baking soda is great for getting into the tiny nooks and crannies of coins to polish away the last traces of dirt and tarnish.
Simply rub the surface of each penny with a pinch of dry baking soda
or alternatively, a paste of baking soda with a little water.
How do you make old pennies look new?
Place
one or two nuts and bolts in the vinegar and watch
– they may become COPPER in color! The vinegar removed some of the copper from the pennies, if there is enough copper in the vinegar, the copper will become attracted by to the metal in the nuts and bolts and they will take on a new copper color – cool.
Why do shiny pennies turn dull?
The negatively charged oxygen atoms in our air are attracted to the positively charged copper atoms in the penny. 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 15 most valuable pennies?
- 01 of 16. 1914-S Lincoln Penny. …
- 02 of 16. 1944-D Lincoln Penny on a Zinc-Coated Steel Planchet. …
- 03 of 16. 1909-S VDB Lincoln Penny. …
- 04 of 16. 1872 Indian Head Penny. …
- 05 of 16. 1969-S Lincoln Penny–Doubled Die Obverse. …
- 06 of 16. 1926-S Lincoln Penny. …
- 07 of 16. 1877 Indian Head Penny. …
- 08 of 16. 1914-D Lincoln Penny.
