What kind of juice cleans pennies the best?

What kind of juice cleans pennies the best?

Those tart little lemons work to remove copper oxide because they contain citric acid. Since lemon juice has the highest concentration of citric acid of any fruit, it works the best. Other juices that rank highly include lime, grapefruit, and orange juice.

Why does orange juice clean pennies Best?

This is because each fruit has a different amount of citric acid. In general, the more sour the fruit tastes, the more citric acid the fruit contains. The more citric acid a fruit contains, the faster its juice will dissolve the copper oxide and clean the penny.

Why does vinegar clean pennies so well?

It turns out that vinegar is an acid, and the acid in the vinegar reacts with the salt to remove what chemists call copper oxide which was making your pennies dull. In time the pennies will turn greenish-blue as a chemical called malachite forms on your pennies.

Does lemon juice or vinegar clean pennies better?

Ultimately, lemon juice will clean pennies better than vinegar, though both liquids are viable cleaning options for copper. This means that lemon juice is a slightly stronger acid than vinegar. The stronger the acid, the better it will clean copper pennies.

Will lemon juice or Coke clean a penny better?

Coke and off-brand colas will quickly remove the tarnish. Just don’t drink the coke afterward. Coke contains phosphoric acid that cleans the oxides. Try a variety of citrus juices to see which works best or simply let your pennies soak in lemon juice.

Does orange juice clean pennies?

Copper oxide dissolves in a mixture of weak acid and table salt-and vinegar is an acid. You could also clean your pennies with salt and lemon juice or orange juice, because those juices are acids, too.

Why do pennies lose their shine?

The negatively charged oxygen atoms in our air are attracted to the positively charged copper atoms in the penny. When oxygen binds with copper, they form a new molecule known as copper oxide. This is why most pennies you see look dirty or tarnished—it’s not actually dirt but copper oxide that makes them look so dull.

What can clean pennies?

For many pennies, one tablespoon (15 g) of salt in 1/2 cup (4 oz) of vinegar will get the job done. Stir the mixture to dissolve the salt. If you don’t have vinegar, use lemon or even orange juice. Copper oxide (the gunk on your pennies) dissolves in weak acid, and that’s just what all three of these liquids are.

Can Coke clean pennies?

What cleans a penny better water or vinegar?

The salt and acetic acid in vinegar do the trick. Hot sauce, like Tabasco or taco sauce, also will remove the oxides off pennies. As in ketchup, salt and vinegar are both in hot sauce. Coke and off-brand colas will quickly remove the tarnish.

Why does lemon juice make pennies shiny?

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT Vinegar and lemon juice are acidic and will remove the copper oxide, leaving the pennies shiny.