Taco Sauce Penny Cleaner - Steve Spangler (2024)

FAQs

What did you observe in the penny that was cleaned with the taco sauce? ›

So what you can clearly see is that the treated pennies are cleaner and shinier, which was the goal, and both brands of taco sauce did about the same job.

So, the secret in taco sauce is the combination of the ingredients. Someone might argue that tomato paste is slightly acidic and may contribute in a small way to removing the copper oxide coating, but the real “power ingredients” are salt and vinegar.

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.

The ingredients in the taco sauce, such as vinegar and salt, mix together and remove the oxidation; The chloride ions combine with the copper in the penny to remove the dullness from the surface of the penny.

When you place the pennies in the salt and vinegar solution, the acetic acid from the vinegar dissolves the copper oxide, leaving behind shiny clean pennies. After the 5 minutes required for 'Shiny Clean Pennies', take half of the pennies out of the liquid and place them on a paper towel to dry.

The vinegar and salt mixture dissolves the outer layer of dirt. Flip the pennies over and wait another 30 seconds. Then remove them, rinse them with water, and dry. Now you have two clean, shiny pennies!

Don't soak the pennies for too long.

After a few minutes, the same reaction that dissolves stuck-on grime can begin to eat away at the copper.

There are fewer small date bronze 1982 d pennies, makes them a bit more rare. And there are fewer small date copper-zinc, makes them a bit more rare. Lots of large dates.

The 1983 pennies from Philadelphia in circulated condition are worth their face value of $0.01. In MS 64 grade, their value is a bit higher, $0.34. The rule of thumb is that the coin rating is better, the more valuable it is.

As they are exposed to the environment, pennies become coated with a layer of copper oxide, making them look tarnished (with a dull, brown, dirty appearance). Copper oxide dissolves in a mixture of weak acid and table salt. Vinegar and lemon juice are both acids.

Does tomato sauce clean pennies? ›

The tomatoes and vinegar are mildly acidic. The acid attacks and removes the oxides that form on the surface of the penny. The consistency of the sauce plays a role in keeping the penny coated in acid.

In Bowl 2, the vinegar and salt create a chemical reaction. This reaction dissolves the copper oxide (the dirty looking spots) and some of the copper on the outside of the penny. The result is a shiny looking penny!

Clean pennies are necessary in this demonstration because a smooth surface is needed for the “silver” and “gold” to plate. Pennies can be cleaned with the salt/vinegar solution as described in the preparation section. Or they can be cleaned by soaking them in dilute hydrochloric acid solution.