You can temporarily make a quarter look gold by heating it, although you're not actually changing the quarter into real gold. Here's how it works:
The Heating Process
The "gold" appearance is due to a process called diffusion, specifically the movement of zinc within the coin's metal composition.
What Happens?
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Quarter Composition: Modern U.S. quarters are made of a copper-nickel clad. This means they have a core of copper sandwiched between layers of nickel alloy. Older quarters (pre-1965) were made of 90% silver and 10% copper. This method will not work on silver quarters.
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Heating: When you heat a copper-nickel clad quarter with a Bunsen burner or similar heat source, you're providing the energy for the zinc to migrate from within the alloy to the surface of the copper.
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Brass Formation: The zinc combines with the surface copper, forming brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The higher the percentage of zinc in brass (typically between 18% and 40%), the more golden the color.
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Appearance: This brass layer gives the quarter a golden or brassy appearance on the surface.
Steps to (Attempt to) Make a Quarter Look Gold:
WARNING: This experiment involves high heat and can be dangerous. Adult supervision and proper safety precautions (gloves, eye protection) are necessary. This effect is temporary and can damage the quarter.
- Safety First: Wear safety goggles and heat-resistant gloves. Work in a well-ventilated area.
- Heating: Use tongs to hold the quarter. Heat the quarter using a Bunsen burner flame. Focus the heat on one area of the quarter.
- Observe: Watch the surface of the quarter. You should see it start to change color as the brass forms.
- Cooling: Once the desired color change is achieved, remove the quarter from the flame and allow it to cool on a heat-resistant surface.
- Handle with Caution: Be careful; the quarter will be very hot.
Important Considerations:
- Not Real Gold: This is a surface treatment, not a conversion to gold. The quarter is still primarily copper and nickel.
- Temporary Effect: The "gold" appearance can wear off with handling.
- Coin Damage: This process can damage the coin's surface and detail. The color change isn't uniform, and the coin may not look very good.
- Safety: Use extreme caution when working with open flames and hot objects.
In short, while you can give a quarter a gold-like appearance through heating and brass formation, you're not actually turning it into gold. It's a chemical change at the surface level.
