So, I found this nickel in my pocket yesterday. When getting change for a soda out of my pocket, I noticed that the coins’ “jingle” did not sound right. I singled out a nickel as the culprit. Front and back scans reveal nothing too obvious.
The problem- the nickel rattles- like it’s hollow, and there’s microfilm inside. (Okay, I realize this is probably not the case, but that’s what it sounds like). My brother said it might be the copper separated from the outside covering. The thing that troubles me is, there sounds to be multiple “things” rattling inside my nickel. I want to cut it open to see what it may be, but if it is counterfeit or something weird, I would like to do the right thing and turn it in (to whom, I’ve no clue).
I know its just a nickel, and the world economy is not going to be affected by this at all, I just want an explaination…
I’m reminded of a cool science trick involving a chemistry teacher, a penny, a file and some magic science chemical where you burn the sinc interior out of a copper clad penny. Wonder if something similar happend with your nickel?
I say cut it open. If the results of that then seem suspicious, do what you will. Personally, my curiosity would have gotten the better of me in seconds. Now cut! We must know.
Easiest thing to do is to weigh it – a real nickel weighs very nearly 5 grams.
If you don’t have access to a scale, rig up a quick one – balance a ruler and put your nickel and a “real” one equal distances from the center. If it’s hollow, or made of different metal, there’ll be a difference in weights.
If you don’t even want to rig up a quick and dirty science experiment, then what are you doing on the SDMB? Heck, you had the ambition to scan the damned thing. Twice.
Try this … hold the coin by its edge and touch both sides of the coin with a magnet. Let me know if anything unusual happens. If its what I think it is, you’ll understand.
Please don’t say what happens, that would spoil the secret, just let us know if something happened.
If nothing happens, then it doesn’t matter. Don’t ask.
Note: I’m not very familiar with American coins, I could be way off track here. But if it’s what I think it is, I have a version that uses UK coins. I’ve met a couple of people who have accidently spent theirs, so people do get them in change, occasionally.
I don’t happen to have a recent nickel in my pocket, but comparing a 1982 nickel to your JPG (regrettably a lossy format; a BMP or even GIF would have preserved more accurate detail), I note a few tiny differences. Most noticeably, the second window to the left of the portico is unmistakably different (on my nickel, it is much smaller, almost identical to the third window on the right). Since the design hasn’t changed since 1938, and I can’t imagine why someone would make a fake coin rather than modifying an existing one, I’m at a loss to explain these variances. It’s not wear.
To respond to some other posts: nickels are 25/75 cupro-nickel, not copper oated zinc alloy (like a penny) or layered metallo-copper (8.3% Ni) blanks like the former silver-containing coins.
Ah, but it has. The 2003, 2004, and 2005 nickels will all have one of two new reverses to commemorate the Lousiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition. Ok, it doesn’t apply to the OP’s nickel, but there it is. Just in the interest of completeness, mind you.
According to the US Mint, the nickel is made entirely of the same 75/25 cupronickel alloy that makes up the outer layer of most higher denomination coins, so yes, it appears they are homogeneous.
The “magic science chemical” in this case is hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid. HCl will eat away most metals, but copper, being one of the “noble metals” (meaning it doesn’t react easily with other chemicals; the others are silver, gold, platinum, and irridium) is impervious to HCl. Zinc, however, is vulnerable to it. So you scratch a little notch in the side of the penny to expose the zinc core, and drop it in the acid. The acid eats away the zing from the inside out, leaving you with a hollow penny. As a side bonus, the reaction between the acid and the zinc produces a gas (hydrogen?), forming a bubble in the center of the penny so it’ll float back to the top.
I think that muriatic acid is still available to private individuals, if you want to try this experiment yourself. It is considered a “strong” acid, and is corrosive to most metals, but it’s not very dangerous to humans. Just be close to a sink, and if you spill any on yourself, go rinse it off (also make sure to keep it out of your eyes; safety goggles are recommended). When you’re done with the experiment, drop chalk or antacid tablets into it until it stops fizzing before you dump it out.
I’ve notched a 1980 and a 1981 penny and didn’t see any obvious zinc. One of the notches is even a good 2mm deep. Either way, they’re sitting in 0.5N HCl right now. Worth a shot!
Copper is NOT a noble metal in the chemical sense. In fact, it is classed as a heavy metal (along with lead, nickle, etc.) because it is bioactive and chemically active. Noble metals (Ruthenium, Rhodium, Rhenium, Palladium, Gold, Platinum, Osmium, Iridium) are much more chemically inert, and not very bioactive, except in certain chemical combinations.
Muriatic acid WILL react with copper. In fact this is a standard treatment: copper is “corroded” with muriatic acid to generate the green patina of age within minutes. Copper left exposed to strong muriatic acid (available in hardware stores as a common surface treatment for copper and masonry) will dissolve.\
Zinc simply dissolves faster. it’s highly reactive to all acids, even some fairly weak ones. In fact, the reason zinc is used in galvanized iron is that it will reat with the “acid” nature of water faster than iron, and corrode ‘sacrificially’ to allow the iron to remain unrusted. (There’s a bit more to the reaction, but I won’t go into that.)
You can probably get a hint about which acid was used in the “penny experiment” by the color of the solution. Muriatic acid would produce hydrated cupric chloride (green or greenish blue). Sulfuric acid would produce hydrated copper sulfate (bright blue) . Nitric acid produces Cupiric nitrate (dark blue) Vinegar would produce Copper acetate, which is dark green.
