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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;-jeffB, post: 2009867, member: 27832&quot;]To be just a little more technical:</p><p><br /></p><p>Vinegar is a mild <b>acid</b>. It will attack various metals, some quickly, some slowly. It also dissolves a lot of oxides, sulfides, and other crud that builds up on coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Salt is sodium chloride, and when it dissolves, it produces <b>chloride</b> ions. Chloride ions, when accompanied by acid and/or oxygen, attack metals and crud a <i>lot</i> more vigorously. Platinum and gold will resist almost any chemical attack, but if you combine nitric acid (a strong acid and oxidizer) with hydrochloric acid (a strong acid and chloride source), even platinum and gold will dissolve.</p><p><br /></p><p>So, if you soak your coins in salt and vinegar, it&#039;ll get a lot of crud off of them, but it&#039;ll also ruin the surfaces of the coins, very quickly. In fact, unless you rinse and neutralize very carefully, that damage will continue long after you pull the coins out.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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