Turning Copper Pennies into Gold! It’s Alchemy!

Alchemy is turning one thing into another. Let’s turn copper pennies into gold ones. Just don’t try to cash them in. This is a fun, safe, and easy project to razzle dazzle your family and friends. In addition, print the 3D placard for it (see link below for blueprint) and you got a great novelty gift.

Why does this work: First we cover the penny with zinc. Then heating the penny fuses zinc and copper to form the alloy brass. Brass is a homogenous metal that ranges in composition from 60-80% copper and 18-40% zinc. Brass has a low melting point for a metal. The copper plating on pennies is thin, so don’t heat the penny too long or the brass will melt away and you’ll be left with the silver-colored zinc inside the coin.

Typically, this experiment uses sodium hydroxide instead of zinc chloride. We're using zinc chloride because it’s far safer than sodium hydroxide.

Things you need:
• 17g Zinc Chloride (125mL water).
• 6g of granular zinc.
• Copper Pennies or Coins
• 15mL Vinegar and 3g of Salt mixture to clean old pennies. Soak until shiny. (Not needed for new pennies.)
• Heavy duty 250 mL beaker or glass dish or large cup.
• One of these: hot plate, heated stirrer, alcohol lamp, Bunsen burner, kitchen stove with pot to sit glass dish or beaker in to apply heat.

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Amazon Affiliate Links, Products shown in this video, (commission paid links):
• Zinc Chloride, Purified, 500 g: https://amzn.to/3Rwp7ud
• Granular Metal Zinc: https://amzn.to/3GWLxQm
• Pyrex Heavy Duty Griffin 1003 250mL Beaker: https://amzn.to/3ttM4Gg

Wisdomsdoor.com Links:
• Visit the NanoStore! Do you want to buy instead of making? Check out my nanoparticle solutions @Wisdomsdoor.com: http://wisdomsdoor.com/nanostore/index.php
• Patreon 3D Blueprint Store: https://www.patreon.com/wisdomsdoor/shop
• Lab sheets, and other: http://wisdomsdoor.com/files/index.php
• Reality Creator Books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/tomdeliso