I have a chemistry project for school and it is designing a half dollar coin out of any materials we like. We have copper pennies, so i was thinking about a copper half dollar. Is copper a good metal to use for it? Are there any special properties of copper that make it a good metal? Are there any special properties that make it a bad metal? Thanks in advance.
Copper is fairly durable and does not oxidize easily. Copper dollars would have to be accepted by vending machines. Not only their diameter and weight, but also their magnetic properties would matter. Also, what is the melting point of copper? By this I mean: How many coins would you make per lb of copper? What is the price of a lb of copper to make other things? Could the price of copper go so high that people would melt down dollar coins, because the value of each coin is greater than $1? The best choice is to make dollars out of paper, which has minimal value; or another metal that cannot find use elsewhere.
NOT BY ITSELF IT'S TOO SOFT AS A METAL MUST BE MIXED WITH ANOTHER METAL
It is a very good metal for coinage. However, it is increasingly expensive. U.S. pennies have had very little copper in them since 1982; they are mostly zinc. If they were still mostly copper, the copper content alone is worth more than one cent, never mind the cost of manufacture and distribution. Copper half dollars are much more economical. Probably the best metal for coinage that combines lowest cost and sufficient durability is aluminum. Many countries around the world have produced aluminum coins for years.
