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DISCUSS (1 of 3): Can you think of any tests you could do, that would help you figure out which idea is true?
Here’s an idea we had...
What if we used a scale? See next slide...
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DISCUSS (2 of 3):
Suppose we give you a scale, a tool that measures weight. Using a scale, is there a test you could do to figure out which idea is true?
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DISCUSS (3 of 3):
If the vinegar and salt REMOVED the dull copper, then what should we find out when we weigh the penny before and after?
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DISCUSS:
Why do you think the alchemist left, never to be heard from again? Was there something he didn’t want the king to figure out?
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DISCUSS (1 of 2):
Why do you think we couldn’t see little bits of copper in the liquid?
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These readings are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit committed to providing teachers with research-proven, Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.
The Penny Experiment tells the story of a girl who experiments with pennies and vinegar and learns about why copper changes color. (Grade 6)
The Allure of Gold discusses why people have always valued gold. (Grade 6)
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Vinegar and salt can make a penny bright and shiny. Can it change the copper of a penny in other ways?
If you read “The Penny Experiment” in our list of readings, you know the answer.
To try the experiment described in the story, follow these instructions from Buggy and Buddy to find out.
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You’ve watched what happens to a penny in vinegar, a weak acid. What happens if you put a penny in nitric acid, a strong acid?
This experiment is too dangerous to try in your classroom, but it’s interesting to watch. In this video, scientist Wayne Breslyn demonstrates how to do the experiment safely.
The reaction creates a brown gas called nitrogen dioxide, which is dangerous to breathe. The humming you hear in the video is the fan of a fume hood. The fume hood removes the nitrogen dioxide so no one will breathe it.
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| Exploration | 20 min |
| Hands-On Activity | 25 min |
| Wrap-Up | 10 min |
| Alchemist’s Potion, Part 2 worksheet | 1 per student |
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Alchemist's Potion worksheet from Chemical Magic Lesson 1
Completed in the previous lesson.
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Details
1 printout per student
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Clean-up Supplies (Eg. Paper Towels)
In case of spills.
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Details
1 roll per class
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Salt & Vinegar Solution from Chemical Magic Lesson 1
Filled with pennies and a steel nail.
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Details
1 container per class
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Dixie Cups (3 oz)
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1 cup per group |
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Medium Binder Clips (1 1/4")
Used to clip Ziploc bags to the plastic bin.
Clothespins or masking tape can also work.
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Details
1 clip per group
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Paper Plates
Plastic plates will also work.
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Details
1 plate per group
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Plastic Bin
Used to store Ziploc bags for students. Bin must be large enough so that all groups of students can clip their bag to the sides of the bin (8 Ziploc bags for a class of 32).
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Details
1 bin per class
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Plastic Spoons
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4 spoons per class |
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Sticker Labels (1" x 3")
Masking tape will also work.
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Details
2 labels per group
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Ziploc Bags (Sandwich Size)
Ziploc snack size bags also work.
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Details
1 bag per group
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Steel Nails
It’s important that you get steel nails (or steel washers)—NOT stainless-steel and NOT galvanized steel.
Jumbo paper clips will also work, but the results are harder to see.
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Details
1 nail per group
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To do this activity, you must have completed the activity in Lesson 1.
We suggest students work in groups of four. Homeschool students can work on their own, but will need help with some steps.
At the end of the last lesson, you put all the pennies in the Salt & Vinegar solution, added a steel nail when students were gone, and then left the solution overnight. To prepare for this activity, check on that solution before class and look at the nail you put in. All or part of the nail should now be covered by a layer of copper.
Take the nail out of the solution, rinse it off, and set it aside to show your students during the last video. Save the penny-filled solution for students to use in this activity.
Students will first need the following materials:
We then recommend you set up three supply stations around the classroom:
If conditions are just right, copper forms on the steel quickly. But in many cases, students may need to leave their experiments for a few hours or even overnight to see results.
To store students' experiments overnight, we suggest taping or clipping the Ziploc bags to the sides of a plastic bin, with the bags hanging over the inside of the bin. This ensures that the nail remains submerged in the liquid. In the unlikely event that the bags leak, the bin will catch the vinegar.
After you complete the lesson and activity, try this extension.
These readings are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit committed to providing teachers with research-proven, Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.
The Penny Experiment tells the story of a girl who experiments with pennies and vinegar and learns about why copper changes color. (Grade 6)
The Allure of Gold discusses why people have always valued gold. (Grade 6)
After you complete the lesson and activity, try this extension.
Can you make a penny turn blue?
Vinegar and salt can make a penny bright and shiny. Can it change the copper of a penny in other ways?
If you read “The Penny Experiment” in our list of readings, you know the answer.
To try the experiment described in the story, follow these instructions from Buggy and Buddy to find out.
After you complete the lesson and activity, try this extension.
You’ve watched what happens to a penny in vinegar, a weak acid. What happens if you put a penny in nitric acid, a strong acid?
This experiment is too dangerous to try in your classroom, but it’s interesting to watch. In this video, scientist Wayne Breslyn demonstrates how to do the experiment safely.
The reaction creates a brown gas called nitrogen dioxide, which is dangerous to breathe. The humming you hear in the video is the fan of a fume hood. The fume hood removes the nitrogen dioxide so no one will breathe it.
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