Purpose: To observe the physical change that occurs when a copper penny reacts with zinc.
Lab #1- August 26 In this lab, we converted a regular penny into a “gold” penny. In doing so, we following a tradition that goes back to the earliest days of chemistry. Alchemists believed that by doing certain chemical reactions, you could turn cheap metals into gold. But what actually happens is that. the zinc dissolved in the hot concentrated sodium hydroxide solution forming sodium zincate. When the copper penny is put to the solution, it is decomposed and reduced to metallic zinc by hydrogen which forms a coating on the penny. The end result is that the penny will be silver in color due to the coating of zinc on it. When we heat the penny, the zinc mixes into the copper to form a layer of brass, an alloy, which results in in a golden colour. Reflection Lab #1 This lab was really interesting and made me really curious about the work of Alchemist in the earlier centuries, but especially it made me interested in how much copper really goes into a penny through the years. The copper penny was the first currency of any type authorized by the United States, the original copper penny was over five times heavier and almost 50% larger than its modern counterpart. Over 300 billion copper pennies, with 11 different designs, have been made since 1787.