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Could you transform something worthless into gold?
Chemical Magic Unit | Lesson 1 of 5

Could you transform something worthless into gold?

Chemical Magic Unit | Lesson 1 of 5
Scroll for prep

DISCUSS:

1) What is it called when metal changes appearance like this?

2) What do you think caused this?

Rust image

DISCUSS:

Say that we gave you four different liquids to test. How would you experiment with them?

Take your pennies out of the salt & vinegar solution, then

DISCUSS:

  1. Do you see any changes in the pennies?
  2. Do you see any changes in the liquid?

ACTIVITY PART 2
(OPTIONAL, BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!)

Now that you have the alchemist’s solution in front of you, you can put steel in the solution, just like the king did, and wait overnight to see the same results!

Advance to the next slide to begin this activity. It will take about 20 minutes to set up and discuss. Then you can come back tomorrow to see the results. Or, if you don’t have time to wait overnight, you can see our results when you get to Step 7.

🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.
#Readings

These readings on ReadWorks & Epic are free for teachers with registration.

The Penny Experiment is a story about a girl who learns why copper changes color. (grade 6, includes comprehension questions)

Why is the Statue of Liberty Green?, a picture book for younger readers (ages 5-7), is such a good story that older students will enjoy it too.

Image & Video Credits

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Exploration
wizard by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: James Steidl
boy wizard by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Kiselev Andrey Valerevich
wizard levitating feather by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Nadezhda Sundikova
potion bottle by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Dim Dimich
The Alchemist (painting) by Chemical Heritage Foundation Collection
alchmist working with assistants by Wellcome Library, London
Rhazes, Arab physician and alchemist by Wellcome Library, London
hand holding wand by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: S. Laing
The Alchemist (Pietro Longhi) by Public Domain
American Gold-Layered Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollar by Sears
Lady Liberty half dollar (silver) by Brandon Grossardt
Danish 20 Kroner Frederik VIII by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: jps
black hand isolated on white by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: photka
bolts by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Jiang Hongyan
Lincoln wheat penny by Rings n Things
hand holding gold by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Carolyn Franks
silver bracelet by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Dennis van de Water
aluminum foil by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Picsfive
copper wire by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: cyran
rusted nails by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Tei Sinthip
rusty pipe by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Ranquick
rusty pan by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Take Photo
rusty car by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Mikbiz
green penny by The Penny Project
Currier and Ives Statue of Liberty by Library of Congress
Statue of Liberty by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Darrelle Twyman
penny progression by Doodle Craft Blog
oil bottles by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: casanisa
hand holding penny by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Arvind Balaraman
gold crown by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Lomingo
man in medieval dress by Paul Mercuri
medieval man on throne by Paul Mercuri
stop sign by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: orangecrush
sword by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Viktorija Reuta
round glass jar by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Helen Cingisiz
Activity
girl thinking by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Samuel Borges Photography
wizard hat by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: djmilic

Featured Reviews

“Loved seeing the screw and washer become "copper!"”
“Having the students share the results and talk about what might have happened. Then comparing what happened to the hypothesis they had made earlier. ”
“The kids were so engaged. They could tell immediately that there was a chemical reaction.”
“The historical link to the alchemists led to a very fun exploration of where science came from. ”
“The kids really enjoyed the penny experiment. It was great that both experiments were linked. They made some excellent connections!”
“Used it with my 6th graders. Easy set up, easily acquired materials, great background materials, and in really works! I supplemented with a Newsela article on alchemy. ”
“The best part is that all the work is done for me. I love these lessons for my dyslexic learner.”
“The story behind the science. Learning about alchemists and the legend of the alchemist that tricked the king as well as why the Statue of Liberty looks the way that it does. It was very engaging and related the science to real life.”
“The simple ingredients - not only could we do it without hitting three stores, but the students are excited to do it at home and show their families. I really appreciate that science is shown as exploration with everyday materials rather than labs or experiments with highly specialized equip and supplies the kids would never normally be able to obtain. Thank you!!”
“The kids were AMAZED when they came in the next day and found the copper-plated steel nail!”
“They were so engaged!!! This is a class that has a lot of trouble being focused, but they ALL wanted to listen and not miss out on anything!”
“seeing and hearing the students come to the realization that the copper came from the pennies and not the vinegar/salt solution; also, it was pretty cool to see the perfect coating on the washer the day”
“This lesson was one of my children's favorite lessons. They particularly enjoyed shining pennies with vinegar and salt. Thank you for this fabulous science lesson. ”
“Students loved the investigations! The alchemy experiment with the washers and screws was awesome!”
“Students LOVED this activity and were all very excited to share what they learned!”
“The best part was the excitement of the students as they made science discoveries using common items. The organization of the lesson, the discussion it promoted, and "across the curriculum" components make this a winner! Sue Hall, Johnson County Elementary, Wrightsville, Ga ”
“Some of the children went home to try their own testing on coins. Great!!”
“We loved this lesson!! It was one of the best yet. And, despite the age range listed as 9-12, both my 6 and 9 year olds were able to participate and enjoy this very much. We recorded our observations on paper, and my 9-year-old made a hypothesis of what would happen before we dipped the pennies. We were all happily shocked at how the experiment worked!”
“I teach special education and the students love learning through experiences. This was a great intro into chemical reactions which they are very excited about!”
“We extended this lesson for several days, soaking every metal we could think of in our vinegar-salt solution. We loved the story about the sword, and the experiment. Thank you!”

Grade 5

Chemical Reactions & Properties Of Matter

Introduction to Chemistry

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this Mystery, students are introduced to the alchemists, a historic group of people who were on a quest to transform something worthless into gold. In the activity, students experiment with various liquids in order to see if they can change the appearance of copper pennies.
Preview activity

Exploration

18 mins

Grade 5

Chemical Reactions & Properties Of Matter

Introduction to Chemistry

Extend this lesson

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Chemistry Lesson 1: Could you transform something worthless into gold?

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