How to Make Gold Pennies!
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Learn how to turn pennies into silver pennies and into gold pennies with this science experiment from Beals Science. Craig Beals explains how to plate a penny with zinc to make a "silver penny" and then heat it to make a brass allow that looks like a "gold penny".
For full instructions and equipment visit www.bealsscien...
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I often hear, "Is this legal?" Yes, it is legal to plate a US penny with zinc or to turn it to copper. But, do not try to sell the "silver" or "gold" pennies to others for the value of silver or gold - that is where you could get into trouble!
This experiment was performed by a trained professional in a secure and safe environment. Any person who uses this experiment and procedure does so at their own risk.
I'd love to hear from you! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.
Got an idea for a video or experiment? Let me know!
Thanks for watching! - Craig
Can you make them copper again?
If you continue to heat them they will turn back to copper as the zinc migrates deeper into the copper and eventually into the zinc interior (coppers are 99% zinc at the core anyway).
@@BealsScience Why is it possible to wipe off the zinc from the "silver colored penny" but not the "gold colored penny"?
Stacie Malonay great question!
The zinc loosely adheres to the copper on the outside of the penny. When heated, the copper and zinc can combine into a mixture where the zinc and copper atoms are intermixed. This is called brass and won’t wipe off because it is now part of the penny. It is similar to mixing two colors of paint (say yellow and blue). On a microscopic level you could still see the individual colors of dye but when we step back and look their colors combine to make a different color - green.
Hope that helps!
Just tried it out at home and got it to work, though it took a bit longer than 10 minutes - maybe because I used Zinc strips instead of granular zinc? Looking to scale this up to do with my class. How many pennies do you think I can get away with per ~250 mL beaker? Hoping to have groups of 3-4 do it with each kid getting to take home a gold penny at the end of class.
I found a "Gold Penny" 17 years ago as a kid in circulation. I gave it to a friend. But I always remembered that penny xD.
I wonder how much that gold penny would be worth now?!
Awe that’s sad haha :(
Do hoy jeep in touch with that friend?
Sucks having the. Saved for years just to find out they are only worth 1 cent
Fxd
I did this in my science class it was really fun
Very true! You have to be very careful with zinc powder!
Same today
So is it real good or fake?
@@vicblaze8323 it’s not real gold it only has the color of it :)
At a restaurant I got a $2 bill and 2 gold quarters as my change I will always keep it and I do now XD love the content
Imagine finding one of these on the street...
You’ve got me thinking: maybe we should make a bunch of these and scatter them around the sidewalks for St. Patrick’s Day!!
@Beal
Good idea.
i have one!!! lol
I found a quarter that was gold
@@BealsScience April Fools Day would be the best day to spread them around.🤭🤣😂🤣
We did this way back (1995-ish) in high school chemistry class, BUT, we used much more toxic chemicals. This method seems a lot safer and easier to do at home. I was able to get all of the supplies on Amazon and the only tricky thing to find was the Zinc Chloride, but I was able to order that online also.
We made a bunch of 'silver' and 'gold' pennies for my nieces and nephews today after Christmas Eve brunch; they are all age 4-10, and they REALLY loved it. It was a great activity to keep them out of the living room after present opening so the 'real' adults could clean up and let Uncle Paul play mad scientist in the kitchen.
One of them in particular wants to do more of this - she's asking about copper plating quarters and nickels and other coins, so that we can do the process in reverse to 'gold' those up too. She's one of the younger ones, too - I think she has potential in a STEM field when she gets older.
The kids found the sizzle sound when quenching the brass pennies into the distilled water a lot more satisfying than the nothing much that happened when the 'silver' pennies came out. But, they still decided to keep almost half of the pennies as silver-colored, which was cool.
Anyway thanks for the very instructive video. I like this method a lot better than the way I learned to do this in the '90's and it DEFINITELY works, and my nieces and nephews were very impressed, and seemed to have a really great time.
I am so glad you had a great time! Your nieces and nephews are lucky to have such a cool uncle!!
I used to do this using boiling sodium hydroxide and it was really dangerous. This new method works just as good and isn’t nearly as “scary” as the other way!
Is it ok to put the golden pennies back in the vinigar and salt would it turn them more shiny
No.It fucking destoryed my coins.
Awesome!
That is a good phenomenon to be explained into a science class. In the past years i used sodium zincate, but your method with ZnCl2 looks much better.
Regards from Bogota, Colombia.
The zinc chloride works pretty well! We’ve also used NaOH and zinc powder with great results but I don’t like having the students heat sodium hydroxide - it is nasty stuff!
Thanks for watching!
Surely I can't be the only one that came from the NileRed podcast episode, now I follow in his footsteps.
Tell me more about his podcast!
@@BealsScience ruclips.net/video/X0ZvX_Sm0cI/видео.html
Thanks
Don't call me Shirley...
Since pennies minted after 1982 are actually just copper-plated zinc, why is it necessary to add zinc in the first place? Is there a way to "silverize" a penny without adding more zinc?
Heating a penny by itself causes a color change but it isn’t very good looking. Additionally by the zinc plate allows the thin layer of copper to make brass from n the surface so it looks gold.
aren't pennies just copper coated over zinc? would it be possible to use the zinc in the penny itself?
Pennies have a thin layer of copper over zinc, and yes, they are mostly zinc! I've never tried to use the copper inside the penny for this application but I do make "hollow pennies" making a small cut in the edge of the penny and placing it in hydrochloric acid. The acid reacts with the zinc to produce zinc chloride and hydrogen gas. The gas can react explosively (because it is hydrogen), so that is fun, and the end product is a nice shell of a penny - essentially solid copper - which can be used for other experiments.
Couldn't you take it a step further with electrolysis and actually plate the zinc with gold or does it need to be a more valuable metal like silver?
Or can you plate directly to the copper?
I haven’t tried much electrolysis but there might have to be some added steps to ensure that is plates properly.
Thank you Craig for making cool videos like this that are fun to watch, done well with exceptional quality, and educational; you and all the other youtubers that make these videos. Thank you! Awesome content!
You are very welcome and thank you for the kind words!
Would these be physical reactions (as opposed to chemical) since all you are doing is coating a penny with zinc and then mixing the zinc with copper to make brass?
does leaving the penny in the zinc solution longer build up a thicker layer or is there a limit
It seems like there is a limit to how much zinc will bind to it but I haven’t left it in for extended periods to see how much.
But guys what is happening to the pennies on a molecular level tho?
Interested video. Please give me information on how to get the equipments
I’ve got a list of all the equipment and supplies on my website:
www.bealsscience.com/post/2018/09/21/how-to-make-gold-pennies-using-science
Does that help?
@@BealsScience Thanks a lot. Will I get all materials and gold making equipments like burner, boiling glass etc. from the AMAZON?
@mohandaskondoth792 I think you can find everything on Amazon.
Will these work with modern pennies?
Yes. US pennies are plated with copper so they work great!
My question is: since a penny is just zinc coated in a thin layer of copper, why couldn't you just heat the penny enough to create an alloy? Why must you add zinc to the penny outside of the copper to create the alloy when there is already zinc under the copper?
I understand that it doesn't work, I've tried. But can someone explain to me why.
That’s a good question and as of right now I don’t have a good answer for you!
Interestingly, when you coat the penny with zinc then heat it, if you heat it too long the zinc will mostly travel to the center and you will have a regular old penny that has slightly more mass!
I will continue my search for an answer.
Hello. What zinc chloride did you use? Awesome video!!
I use a 1 M solution of zinc chloride. I’ve got instructions for mixing this at www.bealsscience.com/post/2018/09/21/how-to-make-gold-pennies-using-science
I hope that helps!
Good idea sir you are very lucky and I have huge collection of these pennies how I can send you .....tnx
That is very nice of you but I will let you save your pennies so you can do the experiment.
Hi, is silver color is permanent or temporary? and is the silver color on the penny surface only,? and the penny from inside still has his own original color?
The silver color from the zinc is permanent but will wear away with time. The Penny underneath is unchanged until you hear it and it makes brass.
Is it still legal currency or will some employee yell at me for giving them "fake" currency
How long does it last and will it change color touching the metal everyday?
It lasts a very long time. I’ve got some in my classroom that are more than 10 years old. But with a lot of handling they will start to patina and change colors.
Why does the zinc migrate when heated? I'm also curious what exactly the zncl2 does to help the penny get coated. I've also seen the experiment done with NaOH -- assuming it gets Zn ions into solution but am not positive.
I also would love some explanation on how alloys work... it seems counter intuitive that metals (typically + ions?) are attracted and bond to one another.
For plating: as the copper is heated, the copper atoms have more energy so they 'move' around more. Because they are held together on the outside of the penny through a metallic bond, the space between them will expand and, on occasion, each individual copper will experience moments where they possess a slight positive and/or negative charge. The zinc (from the zinc metal and from the ZnCl2 [note, you could do this with ZnCl2 only but the solid zinc ensures that there are an excess of Zn atoms (ions) present in solution throughout the entire process]) will will 'plate' on the outside of the copper and be held there through metallic bonding with the copper and other zinc atoms.
When the 'silver' (zinc) penny is heated, all of the atoms on the outside begin to move around quite rapidly, stressing the bonds that hold them together and allowing the electrons and nuclei to 'move' with respect to each other. This jostling and moving and stretching causes the zinc and copper atoms to mix together (think of a cup of light sand layered on top of light sand - if you shake it they will mix together). Then when cooled, they solidify into their new home where their neighbors can be zinc and/or copper atoms.
Does that help?
How about non-copper items? Can I electroplate with copper, then coat with zinc, then apply heat?
Yes. This should work.
We are a home school family in Texas, and we LOVE Beals Science! I show your videos in our co-op science classes, and they are always a hit. (I taught Physical Science 2 years ago and am currently teaching Chemistry.) This lab, however, is venturing outside the science lab and is being done this week as a demonstration for my son's high school speech class. :)
His pennies turned out great, and he is absolutely nuts about Chemistry! Thanks for making great content and inspiring kids to keep learning!!
This makes me so happy!
I am honored that you find my videos useful and that they help inspire your kids to find joy in learning!
It makes all the effort worth while.
I am impressed that your son made gold Pennie’s for speech class! How creative!
Tell your kids and students that I am thankful to be part of their education and I am proud of them for following their interests and passions in science!
Craig
Is boiling 1 molar zinc chloride definitely safe? My kids want us to try this ourselves, but I see "substance decomposes on heating producing toxic fumes of hydrogen chloride and zinc oxide" on one data sheet, which makes me wary.
Boiling Zinc Chloride is potentially unsafe for the reasons you mentioned but I try not to get it into a rolling boil for very long. I do this in my chemistry lab that has overhead ventilation and everybody wears goggles and apron. I have never had any issues with the zinc chloride and the alternative chemical (which we use to use for this) is Sodium Hydroxide, which is terribly nasty - so this is a safer bet. But, as with anything in chemicals and young people, it is important to exercise caution.
Thanks! Our kitchen has lousy ventilation so I'll move the boiling step outdoors. We love your channel!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoy the channel but M even more happy to hear that you are doing the experiments with your kids!!!
Great Idea! Will it also work for steel coins?
It is possible to plate steel with zinc but I have not tried it with this process. And, because the steel lacks copper it will not turn golden colored (brass)
@@BealsScience Oh OK! Well... Thank you for this quick reply and enlightening with this knowledge!
can the zinc chloride be substituted with sodium hydroxide?
Yes, but I really don’t like using sodium hydroxide because the vapors and potential splattering can be very dangerous.
Does this work with iron or steel
After planting electroplating with copper
It will only turn to brass (gold color) with zinc and copper.
So you clean them first by Slat and vinegar mix in a bath wash, then you heat zinc in a heat durable container to get your gold mix bath and them you dip the treated pennies in the zinc mixed bath and heat to get gold effect correct.
Correct!
@@BealsScience the Inc solution is out of stock and cant be found anywhere do you know of any other products that works well like this. Do you you have to have all the instruments used on your list or can you use others items aswell
You can always make your own 1 Molar solution of Zinc Chloride. This link is for 100 g of Zinc Chloride amzn.to/2tOhDYU. To make the solution, mix 68 grams of the powder with 500 ml of distilled water.
You do not have to have the same instruments as I have on my list, you can use others as long as they can withstand the heat.
Does that help?
Can i know all ingredients and apparatus that used to make this experiment？
I’ve got all the information on my website www.bealsscience.com/post/2018/09/21/how-to-make-gold-pennies-using-science
I hope that is helpful for you!
@@BealsScience the Pennies is make from copper？
@@jjayng552 Yes. You can use anything with copper for this.
@@BealsScience Thx
How do you get the ZnCl?? Can it be replaced with something else?
You can use NaOH and it works great. But I don’t like using sodium hydroxide (especially with students) because the boiling solution is potentially very dangerous.
I’ve got some links with ordering info in the video description if that helps.
Thanks for watching!
@@BealsScience thank you.
What if you get a real steel penny and make it gold
Thats not a thing
Nickel foolish the clown
@@coinsusa they were a real thing and they still are they are just hard to find
@@Haal96 No, silver penny's have never been made. In 1943 They did make steel pennies though.
@@coinsusa oh shit my bad let me edit the comment
Does it matter if the coins are older than 1982 because of the different composition?
They end up being a different color of gold because of the composition.
@@BealsScience interesting! thank you for replying.
Thanks for watching!!
Other versions of the experiment use lye. What is the difference since I'd rather not use anything corrosive?
I’ve used lye also. You get get nearly identical results with this method and don’t have to worry about boiling corrosive liquids.
@@BealsScience thank you!
Muy bien, hay que ver si con ese procedimiento, la moneda no pierde su valor.
@Beals Science It worked for me, but after a few hours, they get copper spots and almost completely turn back into copper. Why do you think is that?
I’ve never had that happen. Did you soak them in vinegar and salt to remove any oils or dirt?
@@BealsScience Yes, for 1hr, and shook them occasionally, and before that I brushed them a little bit with a rough sponge.
Also rinsed them afterwards with distilled water and dried them, never touched them again without tweezers.
I then placed two of them in a pyrex beaker with 25ml 1M ZnCl2 and 1g *powdered* zinc. Low-temp boiled until silver-like and shiny, removed and rinsed again with distilled water.
I then heated one of them on the stove very gently and from a distance, until it had just began to turn gold-like, then immediately submerged it in water.
Both of them turned to copper-color again, and they develop spots that seem like when copper gets oxidized, with some residual brass color in the gold-like one.
Do you think using powdered zinc instead of granular might play a role?
Also, I used 5 euro cent coins, which I've read are actually steel covered with copper, if that's important, although I've seen people online perform this process to them.
I did some checking and it appears that there is a steel core in the 5 cent euro. This is likely what is causing you trouble. So, while you are able to plate the copper with zinc, the copper that is currently on the penny may not be very thick and, when you heat it to make it "gold" it is possible that you are breaking the bonds that hold the copper to the steel and then you are seeing areas where the steel is showing and probably oxidizing.
The US penny has a zinc core so it might 'perform' a little differently in this type of experiment.
I hope that helps!
I thought pennies were copper plated zinc? does this work with nickles dimes and quarters?
You are correct. The center of a penny is zinc and it is plated with copper. I’ve done some experiments with removing the different layers with chemical reactions in this video if you are interested: ruclips.net/video/5Cf0gH2LtiE/видео.html
As far as other coins, they don’t have the copper “shell” needed to make this work.
Good one. We did a pirate day at my school and we should have done this experiment. That would have been awesome!
Pirate Day? That sounds awesome!
@@BealsScience where can I get zinc 🙏🏼
I wanna try to do this some day but where do I get the stuff I need to make this happen. THE SARGE
I’ve got links in my website that might help you find the supplies you need.
www.bealsscience.com
@@BealsScience Thank You Sir. THE SARGE
i try witjout the zinc turnd kinda gold with a little red and blue.
I haven’t seen one that turned red and blue! That sounds interesting!
aw so I guess this gold penny I found is really nothing 😂 still fun though 🤷♀️ I’ll keep it
😆
What if you use zinc dust?
Zombie BC dust will work!
You don’t need a silver bath. Just add a little silver to calcium carbonate (chalk) and photographic hypo (sodium thiosulfate) and water as a white paste. Wearing latex gloves dab a soft cloth into the paste and rub the penny … it will quickly silver plate the copper.
I’ve never tried this but it sounds great!
Do you use elemental silver or a silver compound like silver nitrate?
Sir i used
1.sodium hydroxide
2.zinc sulphate
3.zinc metal
Sir 5-8 try but Does not work
I wouldn't be able to say why it did not work as there are a lot of factors that can cause them not to turn out. I've got the full instructions and list of supplies here that may help: www.bealsscience.com/single-post/2018/09/21/How-to-Make-Gold-Pennies-Using-Science
What happens if you can get the Zinc solution says it is put of stock online hard to find
You can always make your own 1 Molar solution of Zinc Chloride. This link is for 100 g of Zinc Chloride amzn.to/2tOhDYU. To make the solution, mix 68 grams of the powder with 500 ml of distilled water.
@@BealsScience thank you so much
Wow. My question exactly. Ty!
What could you do with some clad Nicole's.
If they get melt are the colour still gold?
No. The cold color will change into copper. Olive and then silvery colored if you overheat it.
Where do you get zinc? Home Depot?
I've got a full list of supplies with links on my website: www.bealsscience.com/post/2018/09/21/how-to-make-gold-pennies-using-science
I hope that helps!
can you buy 1 molar zinc on amazon and is it expensive
Yes! I’ve got links to all of the needed materials and supplies on my site www.bealsscience.com/single-post/2018/09/21/How-to-Make-Gold-Pennies-Using-Science
I just checked and the Zinc chloride is about $25 but you can purchase a smaller amount for cheaper.
Does that help?
thanks
your channel is always awesome
Thank you! I figured this was a good one for St. Patrick’s Day.
How did the penny from 2015 he held up work in this experiment? It wouldn't be real copper, just coated
The copper coating makes a thin layer of brass with the zinc.
@@BealsScience ah, that would make sense
Would this work with other coins like nickel, dime, quarter?
It will only work with copper.
Is these became a solid gold or only a plated
Plated. But it isn’t gold, it is bronze. It just looks “gold”.
We here in America use a thing called the Cent. England uses the penny.
Leave these around the city and make people's day thinking they found a lucky penny
Can we change new quarter dollar to become shiny gold color?
What metal is the 'new quarter dollar' made of?
I would like to know what exactly the chemical you are using and where i can get them. I would like to do this with my son.
You might find this page on my website helpful, it has all of the information you are looking for: www.bealsscience.com/single-post/2018/09/21/How-to-Make-Gold-Pennies-Using-Science
Hope that helps!
Could I bake the pennies in an oven to get them to the brass phase? Like if I wanted to do a batch of pennies instead of doing them over a flame one by one?
Yes! Or if you have an electric stove top you can just hold them over the heat and they will turn.
Is there really a such thing as a brass penny?
Just got one but the gold flakes off almost like it's painted. But silver color underneath.
Did you make it with this method?
@@BealsScience I got it in change from the store
@@jgonyo3034 ok. That makes sense. Gold Pennie’s made this way will not flake off as the gold color is part of the copper on the penny.
It’s real or fake gold?
It is actually brass which is a mixture of zinc and copper.
Are you buying like that? I have 9 pears.Do you want to buy me sir? Im a Filipino i hope you can help me se thesa coins . Thankyouu very much
put a magnet up to your coins
How do I tell if my gold penny is real??
How to make original gold and silver in hindi
Is this considered an alloy
Yes! Brass is an alloy I’d copper and zinc.
I have 1967 coin were I go to sell this two coin
Excuse me, does it only work with copper?
Yes. You can plate other metals but only copper and zinc will make the gold colored brass.
@@BealsScience I Thought you could also do it with stainless steel, or is there any way? 😱
I did this in my science class lol isn’t this a felony 😂
It’s only illegal if you made a profit off of it
Where can we get the chemicals to do this?
I've got the list of supplies with links and instructions on my website www.bealsscience.com/single-post/2018/09/21/How-to-Make-Gold-Pennies-Using-Science
I hope that helps!
@@BealsScience Could you provide an updated version? This link isnt available anymore
Like the 1983 D you had with zinc, there are some worth thousands of dollars
It was real gold
Good
But what about equivalent exchange?!
Millions!!
Can I copper plate any coin and then do this?
Unfortunately no.
The gold color comes from the formation of brass and brass is a mixture of zinc and copper.
So you can do this with any coin (or anything else) that is made of copper.
@@BealsScience I understand the zinc copper mixture. But if I electroplated a coin with copper then plated it with zinc as you showed would that work? If not it's fine
If you electroplate with copper first then it should definitely work!
@@BealsScience time to turn steel into copper into silver into gold
Let me know how it turns out!
I do have one Lincoln gold penny from 1992 mint mark D
Wen I was a kid I saw someone do this as a demonstration at the
Museum of Science and Industry. In Chicago.
It makes a great demo doesn’t it?!
@@BealsScience yes it does, I think it was nine at the time. Also the U-505 U-boat exhibit. It's kind of an urban legend in Europe. Everybody hears about the U-Boat in Chicago. However a lot of people are unsure if there actually is a U-Boat in Chicago.
Wow i like your channel a lot you always teach me new stuff when I watch your vids :D
Thank you for the kind words!
Can u do this with a 50 cent coin?
If it is copper it will work.
Can you reverse this experiment?
If you gently heat the penny for a bit longer it will go back to copper because most of the zinc will migrate to the center with the zinc core that is already at the center of the penny.
I got a gold quarter in my job and I kept it
I Love Tales from the crypt that might actually be gold plated!
I am to scared to try sell them but I mite try
Don’t try to sell them. We don’t want you to get in trouble with the law!
But don’t let the zinc stay out it can catch on fire
Sliver pennies exist back then in 1943 they made steel pennies cause the copper was used for the war
Is it real gold
No. It is brass.
Are you like old coins
Canada stopped circulating pennies years ago. Cool video though.
I’ve been hoarding US pennies for years in case they do the same here. We do a lot of different labs with pennies so I figure I should be prepared for the end of the penny! Thanks for watching!
Buenas tardes desde Colombia por favor en español quiero ver y oír el vídeo muchas gracias 🤗
or you can use uhh whats it called...yess steel wool to make the penny shine before you make it gold I did this in my school today
How did they turn out?!
I found Poseidon’s demigod, he lives in 2011 in NYC, I live in miami in 2021
Just heat it up after cleaning it pop there have silver inside. Then cool and rub. He made this confusing.
The inside looks like silver but it is actually zinc.
Me I know the purity of gold at the end ??
Unfortunately it isn’t gold.
It is brass. It just looks golden.
Penny 1993 1981 how much value
1 cent each.
I found a gold penny today.
Good
Well I made my gold pennies but soon after I developed a metallic taste in the back of my throat that wont go away. Worried I have metal fume fever now. So for anyone watching please look up metal fume fever and use Zinc Sulfate from now on
I found an unplated zinc penny
Fun fact, if you heat a penny with a light long enough it will turn gold
I didn’t know that!
Thanks!
You are a great magician. Thank you this real scientist.
Thank you!