Chemical reactions are always surprising for kids to observe! In this science activity we’ll be turning a penny green (similar to what happens to The Statue of Liberty!)
Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board!
Chemical reactions are such a great way to pique a child’s curiosity. This experiment involving a chemical reaction is quite simple and always amazes kids! (This post contains affiliate links.)
Materials for Turning a Penny Green
- Copper pennies
- White vinegar
- Dish or bowl
- Paper towel
- free observation printable (optional)
Procedure for Penny Chemical Reaction
1. Fold a paper towel so that it fits inside your dish.
2. Place the pennies on top of the paper towel.
The pennies placed on the paper towel
3. Pour vinegar over the pennies so that the paper towel is fully saturated.
Pennies with vinegar ready to be observed
4. Observe the pennies over the next few hours and days. You can record your observations using the free printable.
Tips
We left this experiment out for a few days, adding more vinegar as the paper towel began to dry out and flipping the pennies over occasionally. The longer we waited, the more green they became!
Question to Spark Curiosity & Critical Thinking
What happened to the pennies over time? What is your theory as to why this happened?
Can you think of any other chemical reactions you’ve seen in everyday life?
What’s Going On
A chemical reaction has occurred! (A chemical reaction is the combination of two reactants to form something entirely new.) A penny is made of copper. The vinegar on the paper towel helps the copper in the penny easily react with the oxygen in the air to form a blue-green colored compound called malachite.
This is similar to why the Statue of Liberty (which is covered with a layer of copper) has turned greenish-blue. The statue would naturally turn greenish-blue due to exposure to the oxygen in the air. However, because some rain has acid from pollution in it, the rain speeds up the reaction (just as the vinegar caused the reaction with the penny).
Want to go even further?
Even more activities to inspire creativity and critical thinking for various ages.
- Try a similar experiment: Fill a cup with 1/4 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir. Add some pennies and let them sit for 5 minutes. Take them out and rinse them. What happened?
- Make a volcano using baking soda and vinegar.
- Make a torch and crown just like the Statue of Liberty!
Related Posts
Baking Soda and Vinegar Science: Dancing Rice
Science for Kids: Exploring the Surface Tension of Water with Paperclips
Science for Kids: Sink or Float (with Free Printable)
Crafts for Kids: Make a Statue of Liberty Crown and Torch
Math for Kids: Learning Coins Through Play {Free Printable}
Science for Kids: Balancing Robot (FREE Printable)
Science for Kids: Exploring How Water Travels Through Leaves
Science for Kids: Chemical Reactions Using Baking Soda and Vinegar
Jessica @ Play Trains! says
June 29, 2013 at 11:44 amWhat a great science activity! We’ll have to do this one this week. Thanks!
jackie says
June 29, 2013 at 5:07 pmSeriously? I cannot believe I didn’t know you could do this with vinegar! I have a copper tea pot and a milk can that I have let nature take care of, and it’s taking YEARS for them to turn green! Guess what I’ll be giving them a shot of?!
Chelsey says
June 30, 2013 at 9:43 pmI know! So much fun! Ooh, I bet that copper tea pot is just gorgeous~ I’m filled with envy thinking about it! 🙂
Carrie says
July 3, 2013 at 9:50 amWhat a great experiment!! We will have to try it after our post using the Statue of Liberty as our symbol of NYC. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday!!
Natalie says
July 3, 2013 at 12:40 pmOh, I am curious to try it out. I would expect the vinegar to actually clean the coins, but I can see that letting them dry out in vinegar would accelerate oxidation.
Lily says
October 5, 2016 at 9:19 amTo clean the coins you use salt!
Robert says
October 31, 2016 at 11:13 amto clean coins you use salt soap and water
sofia says
February 12, 2017 at 11:20 amI did the experiment for a class project to see what would make a penny turn green: salt water or freash water turns out neither! They clean the penny of!!!
Ticia says
July 5, 2013 at 6:10 pmI’ve seen a lot of experiments for turning them back to copper colored, this is the first one I’ve seen to turn them green.
Thanks for linking up to Science Sunday!
Mary Catherine says
July 6, 2013 at 8:20 pmWhat a great science activity! I think this would be a great, meaningful activity when talking about the Statue of Liberty (as you mentioned). Thanks for sharing at Stress-Free Sunday — I’m featuring you this weekend!
Deceptively Educational says
July 7, 2013 at 7:46 pmGreat activity!! I’m featuring this tomorrow at the After School Linky Party. Stop by to check it out and share more of your great ideas while you’re there! Thanks!
iGameMom says
September 24, 2013 at 11:31 pmLove the activity. Featuring you on iGameMom. Thanks for sharing at Mom’s library. http://igamemom.com/2013/09/25/creative-science-activities-for-kids-moms-library/
Whitney says
February 20, 2014 at 11:27 amHI,
I can’t wait to try this with my kindergartners, however I can’t seem to access the printable. When I click on it I’m taken to a google doc page that is denying access. Help!
Thanks!
Whitney
Chelsey says
February 20, 2014 at 3:22 pmSent you an email, Whitney! 🙂
Trish Hogan says
January 20, 2015 at 4:45 pmWhat is the reaction that is taking place to tarnish the pennies?
Chelsey says
January 21, 2015 at 6:22 amHi Trish- What’s happening is the copper in the penny is reacting with the oxygen in the air to form the green-colored copper oxide. Although pennies are mainly zinc now, they are still plated in copper. Hope that helps!
Joe says
May 16, 2018 at 3:30 pmIs the blue greenish toxic or dangerous to our health in anyway?
Anonymous says
January 25, 2015 at 6:46 pmI did it experiment magic pencil the children love it. thanks Pilar
Natasha says
July 3, 2017 at 11:46 pmLove this experiment. We are going to the Statue of Liberty this summer and this will tie in perfectly. I cannot access the penny printable observation sheet. Would it be possible for you to email it to me, please? Thank you in advance!
Kind Regards,
Natasha