Penny Change Experiment

This is a great way to entertain, learn and kill some time. Start this experiment with a house-wide hunt for pennies - the older & dirtier the better.

Materials

• Dull or dirty pennies

• 1/4 cup white vinegar

• 1 tsp table salt

• Paper towel

• Small non-metal bowl

• Small non-metal container with lid

Directions

• Pour the vinegar & salt into the small non-metal bowl and stir to dissolve

• Put pennies into the bowl for about 30 seconds

• The pennies are now shiny. Take out the pennies and rinse them with fresh water. Place them on a paper towel to dry off.

Why Does It Work?

Vinegar is an acid, and the acid in the vinegar reacts with the salt to remove penny “dirt.” Chemists call the dirt copper oxide.

adapted from BrenDid.com