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Could you transform something worthless into gold?
Chemical Magic Unit | Lesson 2 of 5

Could you transform something worthless into gold?

Chemical Magic Unit | Lesson 2 of 5
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DISCUSS (1 of 3): Can you think of any tests you could do, that would help you figure out which idea is true?

2 possibilities

Here’s an idea we had...

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DISCUSS (2 of 3):

Suppose we give you a scale, a tool that measures weight. Using a scale, is there a test you could do to figure out which idea is true?

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DISCUSS (3 of 3):

If the vinegar and salt REMOVED the dull copper, then what should we find out when we weigh the penny before and after?

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DISCUSS:

Why do you think the alchemist left, never to be heard from again? Was there something he didn’t want the king to figure out?

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DISCUSS (1 of 2):

Why do you think we couldn’t see little bits of copper in the liquid?

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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.
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#Readings

These readings are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit committed to providing teachers with research-proven, Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.

The Penny Experiment tells the story of a girl who experiments with pennies and vinegar and learns about why copper changes color. (Grade 6)

The Allure of Gold discusses why people have always valued gold. (Grade 6)

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Activity: Blue-Green Pennies

Vinegar and salt can make a penny bright and shiny. Can it change the copper of a penny in other ways?

If you read “The Penny Experiment” in our list of readings, you know the answer.

To try the experiment described in the story, follow these instructions from Buggy and Buddy to find out.

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Video: Penny in Nitric Acid

You’ve watched what happens to a penny in vinegar, a weak acid. What happens if you put a penny in nitric acid, a strong acid?

This experiment is too dangerous to try in your classroom, but it’s interesting to watch. In this video, scientist Wayne Breslyn demonstrates how to do the experiment safely.

The reaction creates a brown gas called nitrogen dioxide, which is dangerous to breathe. The humming you hear in the video is the fan of a fume hood. The fume hood removes the nitrogen dioxide so no one will breathe it.

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Grade 5

Chemical Reactions & Properties Of Matter

Dissolving & Particulate Nature of Matter

5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-2

6640 reviews

Activity Prep

Print Prep

THIS LESSON WAS REVISED ON JANUARY 11, 2018. If you've prepped prior to that date, we suggest using the previous version.
In this lesson, students investigate the alchemists’ claim of transforming ordinary metals into gold. In the activity, The King's Sword, students use the vinegar, salt, and penny solution that they created in Lesson 1 to copper plate a steel nail. Students then create a conceptual model of how particles from the pennies are the same ones that eventually coat the nail in copper.

Preview activity

Exploration

20 mins

Wrap-Up

10 mins

Grade 5

Chemical Reactions & Properties Of Matter

Dissolving & Particulate Nature of Matter

5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-2

6640 reviews
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