Katherine's Chemistry Blog

The penny, something we use everyday, but never take the time to examine. A penny has many properties, both chemical and physical, that are not always apparent the the naked eye. Based on the year the penny was made, there are a couple factors that that could cause different results. For instance if the penny was made between 1944- 1982, then it is made of 95% copper and 5% zinc, while if made after that, the penny will be made of 2.5% copper and 97.5% zinc. For experimental purposes, I chose to focus more on the penny made before 1982 that had a larger amount of copper in it. The penny possibly the most simple and basic form of money has more properties than one would have ever thought.

• Weight:
  • Before 1982: 3.1 g
  • After 1982: 2.5 g

  A smashed penny's weight and volume would stay the same, but it circumference would be changed.

  • Smell: A copper/ iron smell similar to blood

  
  
  Chemical Properties
  
  
  All of the following properties are chemical because they involve a chemical reaction that can never be undone.

  

  • By putting a penny in bleach, along with cleaning the penny and removing some of the rust, dirt, ect., it produced a gritty white material on the penny.