HOME FAQs BOOKS JOBS: Help Wanted Suggestions you are here: Hotline/Forum => Letter 12498
Science project: Fastest Way to Clean Pennies
I am a twelve year old girl and I am doing this project for our school Science Fair . I would like to use this as an addition to my poster as added research. Which juice cleans pennies the best? I have done the experiment with lemon juice, cranberry juice, white grape, and apple juice. Apple was far and above the best. I learned that acid levels have nothing to do with getting the pennies the cleanest or cleaning them the fastest.
Thanks,
Sha-Aute' P. [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Youngstown, Ohio
|
What are you talking about -- lemon juice works the best. Joseph L. [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Fitchburg, Massachusetts +++++++ I am cleaning juices with pennies and I have got lemon as my answer. tamia s [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]school - Chicago, Illinois December 4, 2008 I think Vinegar will clean best though you don't have it in the list Claire M [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Bossier, Louisiana January 25, 2009 i think lemon juice will work better because it has citric acid [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] and because of its sourness Tamya [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Surrey, Washington ^-- this reader rates this thread: 
April 14, 2009 I tried lemon, apple, tomato, orange and grape juice and my findings were that grape juice cleaned the best. But when we investigated further, we added salt to the lemon juice and within 5 minutes the oxidation was gone and the penny was much shinier. Tyler R [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Goode, Virginia |
October 26, 2009
well, my name is chyna and I did this very same experiment but with hotsauce and that for me worked the best
Chyna A [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Riverdale, Georgia
^-- this reader rates this thread:
October 26, 2009
Hi, students. Juices that are most acidic will probably work best because you are dissolving the tarnish into the acid. Although most juices don't have much salt in them, salt is also very powerful at dissolving corrosion products.
I would be very curious about the apple juice that Sha-Auté used and the grape juice that Tyler used. Did you by any chance look at the ingredients list and see if sodium or salt were added to those juices?
We have an FAQ: What Cleans Pennies Best that should answer all of your questions about this project, and help you do the experiment well. Good luck!
Regards,
|
 Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
November 22, 2009
i am only ten years old and lime juices clean pennies better............
jahlynn h [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]student - chicago, Illinois
December 14, 2010
Well I am doing this project now, and I find that pickle juice cleans the pennies very well. I think it has something to do with the vinegar and salt in the pickle juice. I also used Orange juice and Apple. Orange juice being another choice and there again the acid in the oranges play a big role in cleaning the pennies.
Cameron S [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]- Brandon, Florida
December 8, 2011
I think that white vinegar cleans it the best because I'm using that for this years science fair but I wasn't sure so I looked up more things I can use so I will use lime juice and maybe hot sauce also I might try red vinegar
Ronia C.- New York