Activity Idea: Create a Copper Nail

Get kids excited about science with this fun, easy experiment — turn an iron nail to copper!
 

Instructions
Combine ¼ cup of vinegar with a pinch of salt in a clean glass jar. Mix well. Drop twenty pennies into the salt-and-vinegar solution and let them sit for three minutes.  Meanwhile, clean the nail using baking soda and a sponge. Rinse thoroughly. Drop the nail into the salt-and-vinegar solution with the pennies and wait fifteen minutes.

The nail will be coated with copper and the pennies come out shiny clean! How does it work? Vinegar contains acetate (or acetic acid), which combines with the copper on the pennies to form copper acetate, which then adheres to the iron nail.

The Standards Connection
Science Content Standards state that students of all grades should be conducting scientific investigations and experimentation. Two grade levels have standards that relate specifically to this experiment:

>Grade 3: Physical Science
Students know that when two or more substances are combined, a new substance may be formed with properties that are different from those of the original materials.

>Grade 5: Physical Science
Students know that during chemical reactions the atom in the reactants rearrange to form products with different properties. Students should also know that metals have properties in common.

Special thanks to Pam Brasher of Santee School District Project SAFE for her input on Content Standards.