Copper Lab

Everett Reinheimer, Isabelle Hart, Trevor Mendola, and Nicole Twichell

4th Period

December 21, 2016

Introduction

Why does a penny get dirty over time? Newer pennies look significantly different than older

pennies because over time pennies get dirty. Copper Caper states, that copper of a penny is made

up of copper atoms. Copper atoms can combine with oxygen atoms from the air to make a

molecule called copper oxide. Pennies become dirty over time because they get covered with

copper oxide (exploratorium.edu). International Preciouses Metals states, that when copper is

exposed to the open air it causes the copper to corrode and undergo a series of chemical reactions

which causes the development of a patina and oxide. A patina is a coating of copper oxide

molecules which protects the metal beneath the penny (preciousmetals.com). This experiment

will be testing, what liquid will clean the patina off of the pennies the best. Vinegar contains

acetic acid and lemon juice contains citric acid which will remove patina and oxide layer off the

surface of the pennies. Rubbing alcohol is not acidic so probably will not have a great effect on

the pennies. Bleach will do the opposite because it is an oxidizer and will corrode the pennies.

International Precious Metals states, that over a longer period of time, the formation of copper

sulfate, carbonate and chloride salts in varying concentrations turn the penny's surface green

(preciousmetals.com). Colorado State University states that pennies slowly react with the air by

oxidation. This is why older pennies are dull and green, while new pennies are shiny and clean.

According to Wise Geek, today a penny is made of 97.5 percent zinc, and 2.5 percent copper

(wisegeek.org). This experiment is about what specific liquids clean pennies the best? Lemon

juice, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and bleach will be tested on the pennies to tell which cleans a

penny the best. To answer this question, pennies will be tested for ten, thirty, and sixty minutes,

for each liquid. The independent variable is the different chemicals in the experiment. The

dependent variable is how clean the pennies will get. The control is the clean penny added to all

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the liquids. The constants are the type of penny used, the same dirtiness of the penny, and the

same amount of time that the pennies are in the liquid. The testable question for this experiment

is what liquid cleans the penny the best? It is hypothesized that the bleach will clean the penny

the best because is is the strongest chemical that is being tested on the pennies.

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Materials

12 old, dirty pennies

Vinegar
Rubbing alcohol
Lemon juice
Bleach
Table spoon
Bowl
Stop watch/ timer

Procedures

1. First place 1 penny in a bowl

2. Fill the bowl with 1 of the 4 liquids until the penny is fully submerged
3. After 10 minutes, remove the penny from the bowl
4. Place a different penny in the bowl
5. After 30 minutes, remove the penny from the bowl
6. Place a different penny in the bowl
7. After 60 minutes, remove the penny from the bowl
8. Repeat steps 1 through 7 using the other 3 substances

Results

Type of Liquid: 10 minutes 30 minutes 60 minutes

Vinegar Minimal Minimal High change
change change
Rubbing Alcohol Minimal Minimal Minimal
change change change
Lemon Juice Minimal Minimal High change
change change
Bleach Minimal Minimal High change
change change

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This table explains how the liquids affected the penny over the different time increments.

Minimal change means that the pennies exhibited some change in shine after being

submerged, but not a vast amount of change, while high change means the pennies were

much cleaner and shinier after being submerged in the liquids.

Vinegar: The results show that after more time in vinegar, the penny becomes cleaner,

and removes blemishes and grime from the penny. The vinegar had not cleaned the penny

during the 10 and 30 minutes but it had a major effect on the penny that was submerged

for 60 minutes. Vinegar had a slower reaction to the penny but it did clean the dirty

surface of the penny. The shininess of the penny improved.

Rubbing alcohol: The rubbing alcohol cleaned the penny but only made some difference

but not significant. After the ten minute trial, there was no visible change to the penny.

During the thirty and sixty minute trial, the pennies did get cleaner but barely.
Lemon Juice: It is evident that the longer a person leaves the penny in the lemon juice, it

gets cleaner and cleaner. After ten minutes the penny did get cleaner but the longer the

penny was in the lemon juice, the cleaner it got. Especially during the sixty minute trial

the penny get significantly cleaner.

Bleach: Over time the bleach did the opposite of cleaning the penny. The bleach corroded

the penny because bleach is an oxide. The longer amount of time the penny had in the

bleach the more corrosion occurred. In all three trials the bleach had darkened the pennies

surface causing the penny to loose its copper color.

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Discussion

The results of the first tested substance, vinegar, showed that it had cleansed the penny of the

dirt and the oxide layer without corrosion. Vinegar contains acetic acid which removes the

oxidized layer. Rubbing alcohol is not acidic but, unlike certain liquids, can mix with and

dissolve things such as oils, fats, and adhesives. It did clean the penny because the alcohol

helped to dissolve the oxidized layer as well, and some residue which had accumulated. Lemon

juice cleaned the penny well because it contains citric acid, which removes the oxide on the

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penny by breaking the bond between copper and oxygen. Bleach is the opposite of the lemon

juice, which is acidic, and corrodes the penny and other metals because it is an oxidizer. The

hypothesis was incorrect because bleach is a strong chemical that speeds up the oxidation

because it is highly alkaline substance. (http://www.finishing.com/255/37.shtml) Possible errors

or mistakes in the experiment were using rubbing alcohol as one of the solutions. It did not seem

to have a very recognizable effect on the pennies. In future tests, maybe distilled water could be

tested instead so that there is a proper control group. Another possible error was using pennies

with different wear on them. In future tests pennies of the same, or at least similar, condition

should be used for all trials. Also, the date in which the pennies were made should also be

considered since the materials and processes for making pennies has changed over the yeas.

Lastly, future expansion could including using more solutions, such as tabasco sauce and vinegar

with salt and also testing more basic solutions, rather than acidic solutions. Solutions and

chemicals which could initiate a chemical reaction could also be attempted. Also longer trials

could be done to see if more corrosion can occur with the acidic solutions.

References
"Science Activity: Turn Old Pennies Bright and Shiny! | Exploratorium." Exploratorium: The
Museum of Science, Art and Human Perception. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.
"Why Do Pennies Turn Green?" International Precious Metals. N.p., 28 Jan. 2015. Web. 20 Dec.
2016.
"What Is a Penny Made Of?" WiseGEEK. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.
"Why Do Bleach and Vinegar Corrode Pennies?" Why Do Bleach and Vinegar Corrode
Pennies? N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.
Cirelli, Cheryl. "Penny Cleaning Science." LoveToKnow. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.
<http://cleaning.lovetoknow.com/Penny_Cleaning_Science>.

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