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In a display of alchemy we turn copper pennies into silver and finally to gold.
First we get 30g of zinc sulfate and dissolve it into 100mL of water.
If you don't have zinc sulfate or can't make it, you can also use zinc chloride. This can be made by simply mixing hydrochloric acid with zinc metal and waiting until the fizzing stops.
Then we drop in several cut strips of zinc metal.
The solution is heated to a boil and copper pennies, that have been thoroughly washed/cleaned, are dropped in. They must touch the zinc in order for this reaction to work. Leave it in for five to ten minutes.
The zinc metal dissolves and releases electrons that go into the copper and give it a negative charge. The zinc ions in solution now redeposit form a thin layer of zinc metal. Giving the coin a silvery color.
Now the smart physical chemist might wonder how this can possibly work. Overall we're going from zinc metal to zinc metal and at first it seems like we're missing something about thermodynamics. What is the driving force? I've searched the literature and there doesn't seem to be a consensus among scientists, some claim it's a surface free energy issue with zinc having a lower potential on copper than in free solution (at high concentration). Others state that its an alloy of zinc metal and copper on the surface. The silvery color you're seeing on the penny is actually a type of white brass, not pure zinc. This is thermodynamically more favorable than pure separate metals and thus serves as the driving force.
Anyway, whatever the specific chemical reason, we've now deposited zinc onto copper.
The most amazing trick is to turn it into gold. Simply wash the coin and place it on a hotplate heated to about 300 Celsius. As it heats the zinc will diffuse into the copper, forming brass on the surface that looks like gold.
What else can I help you with?
Why did the penny turn gold when heated in the burner in the burner flame?
When a penny is heated in a flame, the copper metal reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper oxide. Copper oxide has a black color, but when it is heated at high temperatures, it can react with carbon in the flame to form a thin layer of elemental gold on the penny's surface, giving it a gold color.
Can you turn a penny into gold. if not explain?
In practice, no. In theory, you could break down the copper atoms into hydrogen, and fuse them into gold. This would take an insane amount of time an energy, so if you have a supergiant star and a few hundred million years, you can turn anything into gold.
What happens to the copper atoms of the penny in gold penny lab?
basically, the zinc electrons in the NaOH solution coat the copper penny and then when you wave it over a Bunsen burner, the two metals form an alloy (a homogeneous mixture with two or more elements) and make brass, not gold.
Can a copper penny be turned into gold?
No, a copper penny cannot be turned into gold through any known chemical or physical process. Gold is a different element with its own unique properties and cannot be created from copper pennies or any other material.
What liquids make a penny green?
A penny can turn green when exposed to acidic liquids like lemon juice or vinegar, which cause a chemical reaction with the copper in the penny to create a greenish patina. Saltwater can also cause a copper penny to turn green over time due to oxidation.
Why did the penny turn gold when heated in the burner in the burner flame?
When a penny is heated in a flame, the copper metal reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper oxide. Copper oxide has a black color, but when it is heated at high temperatures, it can react with carbon in the flame to form a thin layer of elemental gold on the penny's surface, giving it a gold color.
Can you turn a penny into gold. if not explain?
In practice, no. In theory, you could break down the copper atoms into hydrogen, and fuse them into gold. This would take an insane amount of time an energy, so if you have a supergiant star and a few hundred million years, you can turn anything into gold.
How does a copper penny turn green?
oxygen.
Can gold be scratched by a penny?
No, gold is a much harder metal than copper, which is found in pennies. Therefore, a penny is not capable of scratching gold.
What happens to the copper atoms of the penny in gold penny lab?
basically, the zinc electrons in the NaOH solution coat the copper penny and then when you wave it over a Bunsen burner, the two metals form an alloy (a homogeneous mixture with two or more elements) and make brass, not gold.
What is 52 penny weight in gold worth?
Pennies are made of copper and zinc. there is no gold in them
Does a penny have gold?
No, pennies do not contain gold. Modern pennies are mostly zinc with a little copper, older pennies are mostly copper with a little zinc.
Can a copper penny be turned into gold?
No, a copper penny cannot be turned into gold through any known chemical or physical process. Gold is a different element with its own unique properties and cannot be created from copper pennies or any other material.
What liquids make a penny green?
A penny can turn green when exposed to acidic liquids like lemon juice or vinegar, which cause a chemical reaction with the copper in the penny to create a greenish patina. Saltwater can also cause a copper penny to turn green over time due to oxidation.
Why did the penny turn a silver color?
In 1943 the US Mint briefly replaced the copper penny then in use with a steel penny, due to the wartime copper shortage.
Why does a penny turn green in water?
A penny turns green in water due to a chemical reaction between the copper in the penny and the oxygen in the water. This reaction forms a layer of copper oxide on the surface of the penny, giving it a greenish tint.
How does a penny turn green?
Copper turns green because of sulfur pollution in the air, forming copper sulfide.
