Dont be afraid to use all your senses. Check the ingredient list for your Ketchup and Tabasco sauce some of the labels might list vinegar or citric acid, while others might say tomato puree. It was originally a dark brown color because it was made out of copper and over many years, it has slowly turned blue-green because the copper has transformed into malachite! CLEAN PENNIES WITH VINEGAR - ScienceBob.com we do during the week of Presidents' Day or when we are talking about coins in Math. Encourage this and get them to write down their supposed answers. Your email address will not be published. Get your copper coins out of the containers where theyve been hiding for many years and get them cleaned. My goal is to encourage moms, find practical parenting solutions, and help moms with the unique challenges twins bring! TOTAL PAGES AVAILABLE FOR, 10-IN-1 BUNDLE (Set 1 of 5) - Grades 4,5,6, What is in this '10-IN-1 BUNDLE'? This is because copper reacts to oxygen in the air and it turns into a compound called copper oxide. At Home Chemistry: Cleaning Pennies with Ketchup Once all of the pennies have been rinsed, use your fingers to gently scrub the pennies one at a time with your baking soda paste (keep your gloves on for this part!). Two student printables are included for recording and responding to the lesson. Put a dollop of ketchup on a plate. It utilizes a lot of stuff you already have lying around your house, and does not require you to go out and buy a lot of fancy science gadgets. Line these cups up in a row. Place a penny on each square of your table, heads side up. Luckily, there are a number of ways to clean pennies and make them look bright and shiny again, using chemistry! How do they smell? You can only guess how highly acidic this ketchup must be! Each step is clearly outlined and explained. Repeat step 4 two more times. Its not just dependent on how old the pennies are. Could you have cleaner pennies if you just used running water? And be sure to share these additional fun learning activities with your kids! Dish soap. If you are looking for a fun and engaging way to keep kids passionate about learning, check out Groovy Lab in a Box. Make each cell (square) of the table large enough to place your penny in it after your testing is complete. In each case, make sure the penny is completely covered by the contents of the cup. Copper oxide is brownish or sometimes black in color (depending on other things in the pennys environment). Once 5 minutes has passed, rinse each cup with water until the inside of the cup and the pennies are clean (be careful not to lose your penny!). The classic coin cleaning experiment is an easy and affordable way to get your kids interested in science. This will help them understand whats going on. There are two different stages to this Science activity. Science Fair Project Ideas for Kids, Middle & High School Students, Science Bob: Cleaning Pennies With Vinegar, Steve Spangler Science: Taco Sauce Penny Cleaner, Miami Museum of Science: The pH Factor/Cleaning Pennies. Which penny is the cleanest, compared to its before picture? Cleaning Pennies Home Experiment Conclusions Annex Analysis This graph interprets the results of the experiment. Salt! I believe learning should be enjoyable and engaging. All you'll need is soda, a cup, pennies and some time. Just put the coins on the tea towel and leave it to air dry. Drop eight to ten of the dirty pennies into the solution. A chemical reaction between the vinegar and the salt removes copper oxide. In this case, you may have noticed that the Ketchup and Tabasco pennies were not quiet as well-cleaned as the pennies that were in the vinegar and lemon juice. This blue-green is called malachite and copper can turn into malachite over many years of exposure to chlorine and oxygen. Includes a 2-page student workshe, your class, whether on Presidents Day or another time of the year! Please enter a search term in the text box. Ketchup also contains a lot of salt, which helps add to its acidity. Now comes the hardest part of the experiment - the waiting. You simply add salt to vinegar and you end up making an even more acidic concoction? Its acid! After 10 minutes, take the coins out of the cups and lay them out on some kitchen paper but do not dry them! In each case, make sure the penny is completely covered by the contents of the cup. Here is a step by step walkthrough of the experiment so you dont get forget what to do or lose track of where you are: Once this is all done, you may be tempted to clean everything but not yet! Curious about the science? Learn how to wash Rothy's shoes so your go-to flats and loafers always look their best. . Sign up to learn about our special events, clubs, camps, promotions and school programs. If you dont have a camera, look closely at the color of each penny. Place the pennies in the bowl, and allow them to sit for several minutes. Dry the pennies with a paper towel. Hot SauceHot sauce, like Tabasco or taco sauce, also will remove the oxides off pennies. Go back to the table you drew. These boxes are presented in partnership with Popular Mechanics so you know you'll be getting some great stuff each month. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. I have included 4 recording sheets to go along. Water. 9 Easy Grill Cleaning Tips to Keep Mealtime Fresh, At least two of the solutions from the above list, One penny for each solution plus one extra, One small dish or cup for each solution (plastic or paper cups with a couple inches off the top cut off will work if there aren't drinking glasses to spare). Leave them there for 10 minutes while you and your kids talk about the results of the first experiment. Finally, after about 30 minutes to 1 hour, look at the coins again. This means you will only have two cups to work with. Dirty Pennies Kitchen Science Experiment - Science Fun When 1 minute has passed, rinse each cup with water until the inside of the cup and the pennies are clean (be careful not to lose your penny!). MAKE IT AN EXPERIMENT. Chemical reactions, acidity, copper oxidation. Phosphoric acid breaks down the copper oxygen compound and causes a new layer of the copper to be exposed. You need just a few things for this experiment: Create a solution of vinegar and salt using one teaspoon of salt and 1/4 of a cup of vinegar. Im Colleen, gifted specialist, educational consultant,author,speaker, andhomeschool momof four gifted/twice-exceptional kids. While copper is a beautiful metal, it is also reactive. Dry the pennies with a paper towel. ), 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice, 2 tablespoons Tabasco Sauce (or other hot sauce), 11 plastic cups (small Tupperware containers or bowls will work as well). Add the salt, and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. #sciencegoals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhAgQEr1LOE), Top 20 Musical Toys for Babies Under 6 Months, Best Guide On How To Encourage Motor Development In Babies, Science Fair Ideas for Kids: Manipulating Gases with Balloons, Science Fair For Kids: The Battle of the Senses (Taste vs. Cleaning Pennies Experiment - Mess for Less Keep the pennies in the cup. Whats in the Bag?Making MusicMouse Paint (, gel frosting)Rain PaintSecret MessagesDucks Like RainFloat or Sink PumpkinsDo Seeds Travel?VolcanoesThe Windy DayDo Whales Get Cold?Candle RacesWh, Rated 4.92 out of 5, based on 838 reviews, . But, can make them shiny and new again. 2002-2023 LoveToKnow Media. My goal is to ease the burdens of educators by offering memorable learning activities. What Juice Cleans Pennies Best Science Fair Projects Science Experiment With Cleaning Pennies Teaching Resources | TPT Oranges? Next, pour one liquid into each cup. . Just don't drink the coke afterward. 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. Yes, thats right. Not only will this, Use this observation handout when experimenting. You can watch them change for the first few seconds. However, that uniquely, How to Clean Nike Air Force 1s so They're Good as New. 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. We laid our pennies out to look at them and were surprised with the results. She is an accomplished screenwriter, teacher and blogger. 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. How to Wash Rothy's Shoes & Flats & Keep Them Odor Free. This is a great activity for using just exploring and giving open-ended questioning. Which is the least clean? They are going to love it! 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. I needed a quick science activity. Did you do the 2nd stage of this cleaning coins experiment? Place the pennies in the bowl, and allow them to sit for several minutes. (Optional) Dip one piece of pH paper in each solution (it turns more blue for basic liquids and more red for acidic ones), let it dry, and label which liquid it was dipped in. So if you want to try this simple science experiment out at home, here is what you need to do: The first step you will have to do is to make your hypothesis. Which one do they think will clean the coin the most? She's worked as a freelance copywriter and fiction writer for over a decade. Well, heres something even more fascinating. Then write and draw your observations. Can you think of why time would be important? They react to form copper oxide, which is darker in color. Continue to place each penny in the 5 minutes column in its corresponding cup. Are you getting the free resources, updates, and special offers we send out every week in our teacher newsletter? Repeat the experiment with the same pennies in a new solution of vinegar and salt and see if you can make them even brighter! Carefully remove each penny from its solution. Over time, pennies form a layer of copper oxide on the surface of the penny, which actually protects it from further corruption. The reason why ketchup is such a good coin cleaner is because it is made from tomatoes, and tomatoes are an acidic vegetable (yes, tomatoes are a vegetable). Water is the worst because it is a neutral liquid, meaning that it sits smack in the middle of the pH scale. Add the salt, and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. A variety of products can be used to keep your pennies looking shiny and new. It does this by using the low levels of acids that are contained naturally in vinegar and lemon juice to remove the patina (brown oxidation) on the penny. Privacy. Check the coins, then come back again in another 30 minutes and see what has happened to the coins. Ketchup Soak your pennies in ketchup to clean them like new. 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'? If you have older kids, you can let them pour the soda. Science - Lesson 1 of 50 - Grades 4,5,6 All rights reserved. Put 1 tablespoon of Vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt into each Vinegar cup. Was 1 minute or 5 minutes more effective in cleaning the pennies overall? Slowly add water, 1 tablespoon at time, until youve created a paste. Explore this article things needed 1 Preparation 2 Collect pennies of varying color Collect pennies of varying color. Finally, wipe the coins dry with a tea towel or kitchen paper. Cleaning Pennies Science Project.docx - Course Hero Chemical reactions are responsible for the change in a pennys appearance over time. It is a step-by-step, that the students can perform on their own. So what just happened here? I preceded the, a presentation from the U.S. Mint site on how coins are made. Students will create a booklet or for a quicker project, just print the worksheet. The friction does the work. Label each cup with a pen so you and your kids know what liquid is in each up. This is what the pennies look like sitting at the bottom of the glass. This product is designed to teach people how to clean old, tarnished, using simple household items such as vinegar and salt. Cleaning Pennies Science Experiment for Kids - Raising Lifelong Learners