What Dissolves In Hot Water But Not Acetone?

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 9 / Views: 717
Brandmeister Pillar of the Community United States 4703 Posts	Posted 01/03/2025 4:44 pm I searching cents from an old, dirty plastic juice bottle, I found that many copper cents had a sticky dark substance on them. I plunked one in acetone overnight, but the sticky, hard stuff did not dissolve at all. Then on a hunch, I tossed some into hot tap water, and the substance immediately dissolved. I thought acetone will dissolve any organic gunk? What else aside from juice residue could that have been on the coins that would dissolve immediately in hot water but not at all in acetone? Report this Post to the Staff

jbuck Moderator United States 164458 Posts	Posted 01/03/2025 4:58 pm Maybe affected by the polarity? http://goccf.com/t/57008#447106 Coin Collector Since 1978 My Avatar My Old Avatar My 7070 My Eisenhower Dollars CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
spru Bedrock of the Community United States 12442 Posts	Posted 01/04/2025 04:10 am I haven't tested it, but could it be as simple as sugar? I am reading varying results on acetone's ability to dissolve sugar... In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020 In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020 In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024 Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16345 Posts	Posted 01/04/2025 06:42 am Hesitating to point out the obvious possibility, but... Quote: ...from an old, dirty plastic juice bottle... ...might it simply be fruit juice? That would be both sugary and have other compounds likely to be water-soluble, which might or might not come off in acetone. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Zurie Pillar of the Community United States 5339 Posts	Posted 01/04/2025 09:14 am Agree it's likely sugar. Sucrose is not very soluble in acetone. Report this Post to the Staff
Dearborn Moderator United States 72196 Posts	Posted 01/04/2025 09:38 am I have (had) a coin with a sticky residue on it that acetone would not touch, now I can't find it to test out this hot water soak - gonna keep looking for it.. Collecting since 1972. Learning from then on "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin 7070 type set coin count: 47/76 Uncirculated American Silver Eagles My American Silver Eagle Proof Collection Innovation Dollars Eisenhower-Dollars Kennedy-Half Dollars Washington-Quarters Roosevelt-Dimes Buffalo-Nickels Jefferson-Nickels Lincoln-Cents Report this Post to the Staff
Brandmeister Pillar of the Community United States 4703 Posts	Posted 01/04/2025 11:28 am Ok, thanks. I guess I had misunderstood the capabilities of acetone. I thought it would dissolve just about any organic residue. jbuck's link to BadThad's polarity discussion was helpful, as were the comments on this thread. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 164458 Posts	Posted 01/06/2025 10:54 am Quote: jbuck's link to BadThad's polarity discussion was helpful It is a great topic. I am glad it helped. Coin Collector Since 1978 My Avatar My Old Avatar My 7070 My Eisenhower Dollars CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
Brandmeister Pillar of the Community United States 4703 Posts	Posted 01/06/2025 11:58 am I think the big takeaway from re-reading his article is that it isn't really an escalating intensity. I had understood it to be water < acetone < xylene. Where anything that water would dissolve would also be dissolved by acetone. But that doesn't seem to be the case. Different substances respond differently to the liquid polarities. Water might be the gentlest option, but there are apparently still residues that will dissolve in water that will not dissolve in acetone, despite acetone's greater chemical intensity. Report this Post to the Staff
jbuck Moderator United States 164458 Posts	Posted 01/06/2025 12:42 pm The ladder is in the direction of cost and danger. The idea is to stop when you find something that works, although I still prefer to end with a fresh rinse of acetone to dry the coin. Coin Collector Since 1978 My Avatar My Old Avatar My 7070 My Eisenhower Dollars CCF Members on eBay CCF eBay Search Engine Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 9 / Views: 717

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: General Numismatic Forums Forum: Main Coin Forum

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

Royal Estate Auctions - $1 Coin Auctions

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 New Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2025 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.25 seconds to rattle this change.