Letter 12741

Why lemon juice cleans copper pennies better than bleach  

Why does lemon juice clean copper pennies better than bleach and other detergents? And please hurry I need the answer by 2\25\02. Make the answers nice and long too!

Isaiah S.
- Mays Landing, NJ, United States

Did you want it single or double spaced?

 
Ted Mooney, P.E.
finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

Sigh.. another student that just wants to cut and paste and turn it in to a teacher..whats the world coming to?? Isaiah, I'm sure if you did a search on this site, you could find the answer to your question...but if not, try reading one of your science books, or better yet..pay attention in class.

Marc Green anodizer - Boise, ID, USA

Study or else you'll end up in one of those mines inhabited by Orcs in Middle Earth.

Tom Pullizzi Platronica.com Falls Township, PA

First of all dull and dirty pennies have a layer of copper oxide (copper and oxygen mixed together) and that can be dissolved by a weak acid. Lemon juice is a weak acid so is orange juice and vinegar.

Jennifer C
- Moncks Corner, SC, U.S.

Lemon juice cleans pennies better than bleach because bleach takes out stains from things that have pores or spaces for things to live but pennies are solid things that don't have alot of pores and stuff. And acid which is in the lemon juice dissolves things on the surface and that's why lemon juices works better than bleach.

Carmella C.
- PC, NY, USA

Ed. note: Sorry, but for every metal finisher in the world there are ten thousand students, and we are drowning under variations on this question which we've answered hundreds of times already. Please read our F.A.Q. on the subject. We can't answer the question for students individually any more. Sorry!