Abstract:
Acids can be extremely corrosive substances especially when they come into contact with other materials such as metals. In this experiment, copper coins were used to determine the effect that varying concentrations of acid has on copper erosion. To achieve this, the experiment soaked eight coins, four made in 1980 and four in 2008, in eight different concentrations of acid to inspect how acid would react with the copper metal. The findings revealed that the coins with the most copper, that is, the four made in 1980 eroded faster than the four coins made in 2008. Therefore acids at higher concentrations have stronger reactions on materials was reached.

Purpose:
The purpose of the experiment was to observe and determine the effect …show more content…
The independent variable is identified as the hydrochloric acid. Although the concentrations of the acid varied within each beaker, the use of the acid was proven to be the component in the experiment that resulted in the corrosion of the metal (copper). The dependent variables are the eight pennies. The first four groups of pennies made in 1980, showed more evidence of corrosion than the pennies made in 2008. This was as a result of the amount of copper present in the older pennies. Another variable is time. All eight pennies remained in the hydrochloric solution for five days. This length of time showed that acid can corrode metals over short periods of time. Also, the longer the pennies remained in the solution, the greater the effect of the corrosion. Temperature was the only variable that was not altered in the experiment. All 8 beakers remained at room temperature and that temperature remained constant. Therefore, temperature was the only variable that was not discussed in the …show more content…
For example, the hydrochloric solution was measured accurately before each amount was poured into the beakers. Also, after the pennies were left to soak, they were dried using a paper towel before they were weighed for the second time. This step was taken to ensure that the solution did not affect the weight of the penny and as a result alter the experiment’s findings. Although precautions were taken, the penny in the 7th beaker did not illustrate a change in weight. This error could have occurred due to an inaccurate reading of the scale or an error in recording the results.

Conclusion:
This experiment set out to examine the effect that varying concentrations of hydrochloric acid had on copper corrosion. When all the variables and conditions necessary to carry out the experiment were included, the results illustrated that hydrochloric acid, when used in differing concentrations can cause corrosion in metals. As shown in the findings and discussion, the pennies which were made in 1980 showed more evidence of corrosion that the group of pennies made in 2008.The results have therefore shown that the hypothesis is accurate and experiment was a