I got this experiment from Mom to 2 Posh Little Divas. Since I had a character quality lesson I wanted to do with pennies, I thought this would be good accompaniment. We first gathered a bunch of pennies. The older and more oxidized the better. We talked about which one they thought be older or newer based on appearance. I then asked how we could clean them up. Soap and water was the number one suggestion. I suggested water and then another cup of salt and vinegar. I asked them to guess which would clean the best. Soap and water was their choice. So, we set them in the three cups. The salt and vinegar contained 1/2 cup vinegar to 2 tsp. salt. We left the pennies in their mixtures for 5 minutes and then pulled them out. The salt and vinegar ended up being the shiniest, but if not rinsed well turn out more of a bluish green color. Why do they turn this color? The cooper in the penny reacts with the oxygen in the air and salt and turns the penny green. Interesting. Fun little science experiment to learn a little about chemical reactions, hypothesis and the scientific method.
thanks for mentioning me! 🙂 wasn’t it so easy and great for the kids!
It was. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
That is a cool experiment! And it is perfect that your little girl has a little white sweater on and glasses. For a minute I thought it was a lab coat and lab glasses:) I will have to do this with my son!
That’s funny. It does look like that. I hope you have fun with your son. If you don’t rinse them well, they’ll start to turn green after they get really shiny, which is cool in and of itself. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.
Hi, this looks like fun. I’m going to get my 10 year old daughter and her friend doing this today. i’m sure they’ll enjoy seeing the result!
Thanks for letting me know. It is encouraging when I hear about people doing my projects. Have fun with it!