WHAT!? Gold Coin?!?!? (Alchemy Science Experiment)

Today at Science, we did an experiment called "Alchemy", I was grouped with Addyson and Keghan, although the both of them weren't really getting along well, when a couple of minutes passed, they were getting along well. 

My Aim: I want to find out how to turn a copper into gold

Equipment:

• Copper Coin
• Bunsen Burner
• Tripod
• Heat Mat
• Gauze Mat
• 50ml beaker
• Scissor Tongs
• Zinc Metal
• Zinc Nitrate solution

Steps:

Step 1 - Put your safety glasses on.
Step 2 - Set up heating equipment.
Step 3 - Add 50ml of Zinc Nitrate to the beaker.
Step 4 - Add the strips of zinc metal into the solution.
Step 5 - Heat the beaker with a blue flame.
Step 6 - Once the solution is boiling, add the Copper coin on top of the Zinc.
Step 7 - Wait for 10mins.
Step 8 - Using scissor tongs, get the coin and wash it under water.
Step 9 - Still holding the coin with the scissor tongs, hold the coin in the blue flame.

After the experiment, we thought that it wasn't going to turn into gold because instead of turning into gold, it turned silver with a mixture of pink.  I was thinking of touching it, so I did but I didn't expect it to rub off the colour and when it got rubbed off, some areas of the penny turned into gold. 

Overall, it was a really fun experiment, it was fun learning new stuff, maybe if we would've not held the coin on the blue flame for a long time, it would've probably turned gold and it wouldn't have burnt.