It is not really sliver or gold, its a zinc and brass layering it just looks like gold and sliver. Could you imagine how worthless gold and sliver would be if you could create it this easily. (btw if you listened carefully she told already told you)
This blew my mind to see zinc plate out onto copper! Usually it's the other way around. I purify precious metals for a living and this one caught me off guard. I also didn't expect zinc to dissolve in strong base. Keep sending cool videos like this one!!
Glad to see this demonstration. I performed this experiment properly ONCE. Thereafter it always failed. I think it was because I used mossy zinc, or it could have been because I did not have exposed metallic zinc with which the copper could react. US pennies since 1973 are zinc with a wash of copper. I've wondered -- but have have not tested -- if mild heating would cause the zinc core to react with the copper to produce a layer of brass. If so, it would be beneath the copper on the surface, but should be tougher than the copper itself. Have you ever played with this?
Jonathan Valentin as they say in the video, it is a brass layer. brass is an alloy (a mix of two or more metal) and it has a golden color to it. however, unlike gold, which is really unreactive, other metals like copper and zinc (from the brass) will tarnish. this mean that the metal burns and change color to a not gold color.
As far as how it went for me, it only took about 10 minutes. It takes several minutes to get the sodium zincate solution to boil and several more minutes to turn the pennies into silver. For the gold part, it takes less than 10 seconds to turn into gold, but keep the penny dry though.
I did this at school several times for the new kids to show them some chemistry-tricks :D Was always cool to see the effect. But the Zn-Solution smells pretty bad. When i watched the video I instantly had this smell in my nose :D (after 10 and more years)
While I was doing this for my chemistry project, I accidentally breathed in some of the fumes whilst the sodium zincate was boiling. It tingled my nose a bit, but am I safe?
Hi, glad you've enjoyed using the experiment for your project! See our health and safety advice for this experiment here: www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000839/turning-copper-coins-into-silver-and-gold
It's a much more attractive title "Turning Copper into Silver". I highly doubt anyone would actually believe that you can actually do this, so they probably just clicked to see what trick was being proformed.
i wonder how many people have tried to pass off copper as silver or gold this way for scams. As a kid i discoverd if i put U.S. pennies in my shoe, the sweat that bleed through my socks would cause it take on this really cool iridescence almost like an oil slick. I wonder if it is a similar reaction as this.
I have watched your video 3 times and i could not understand why you call a chemical Zn-plated silver and a Zn-thermal oxidation cold.Do you mean the colours?
Any information you need is in this website: www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000839/turning-copper-coins-into-silver-and-gold?cmpid=CMP00005974
Zn(s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 2H2O(l) → Na2 [Zn(OH)4](aq) + H2(g). This is the reaction between zinc and sodium hydroxide along with h2o to form sodium zincate. :)
Bubba why would you actually believe you could change copper into silver and gold? and even if you could you think there would be a RU-vid video on it? everyone would have a surplus of it if that were true. they would be practically worthless
this is alchemy!! you didnt actually turn anything into gold or silver. you couldve cut all the complication out and just spray painted it! its basically the same thing.
whatever it is filled with is what it is. As the same sense of in bread of humans..... just sayin... you aren't changing the metals. It's plated and not solid
