The salt in the ketchup adds dissolved chloride ions that bond with the copper to form copper chloride, which allows the acid to break up even more copper oxide. While the coins are submerged in the cups, lay out some paper towels or kitchen paper and label each towel so you know which coin is going where. If this experiment is being used for a science fair or class presentation, the young scientist has the option to either take photos of each penny with a label for which solution was used or even to bring the pennies themselves in. Afterwards, put one old coin in each cup. The step-by-step instructions included in this digital product are easy to follow and are accompanied by colorful illustrations that make the . Begin your control experiment. We laid our pennies out to look at them and were surprised with the results. Rank your solutions from which cleaned the penny the best, to which cleaned it the worst. Set one penny aside to act as your control. 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! Simple, any age students! Update Includes Google Slides version for distance learning science experime Subjects: Copper oxide is blackish. You also may have noticed that the longer the pennies stayed in the cleaning solution, the cleaner they became! However, that uniquely, How to Clean Nike Air Force 1s so They're Good as New. When experimenting with how to clean pennies, we tested a variety of items, here are some ideas: Lemon or lime juice Water Soy sauce Dish soap White vinegar Ginger ale Ketchup Salt water Hot Sauce Mustard Milk Baking soda (we did not try this, but it would be a good option to add in!) The coins that were submerged in those cups should come out nice and shiny, while the rest are still a little dull and dirty. Plus, there is another great reason to try this science experiment out youll be spending some quality time with your kids. But what about the ketchup? more information Accept. 'Fire Water Balloon, 25-IN-1 BUNDLE (Set 1 of 2) - Grades 4,5,6, What is in this '25-IN-1 BUNDLE'? The experiment can be done with just as much fun and learning without using this tool. But, can make them shiny and new again. When the vinegar cleaned the coin, it stripped away the coating and exposed the copper. Younger kids who cant yet write well can keep the pennies in front of the cups.). Check the coins, then come back again in another 30 minutes and see what has happened to the coins. Remove the pennies and rinse them with water. If you took a picture in Step 1, go back and compare each pennys cleanliness before and after being cleaned. At Home Chemistry: Cleaning Pennies with Ketchup chemistry, kitchen science experiments, coin experiments. Make this your own and let your kids explore. This post contains affiliate links. Teacher Notes: Student Write-Up Sample: 1 colour page Put 1 tablespoon of Vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt into each Vinegar cup. 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. Copper oxide is blackish. Ketchup and oranges have a high acid content as dovinegar and lemons. So, the liquids that have worked best in your experiment are the ones that are more acidic.