How to clean the burners of the gas stove easily? It is Chemistry in the kitchen!

Cleaning gas stove burners is an intimidating process for everyone. We all seek to banish the tarnish; getting rid of the dull almost black surface and getting back the lustrous look of copper.

First, why does this black layer (tarnish) appear on copper?

Metals such as copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, magnesium, neodymium are vulnerable to tarnishing over time. The outermost layer of the metal/ metal alloy undergoes a chemical reaction-corrosion. Copper tarnishes in the same way that iron rusts when the surface of the metal undergoes oxidation due to its exposure over time to oxygen and moisture.

Copper (Cu) corrosion occurs in stages to give the black color that appeared on the burners (see the tarnished burner below).

First stage:

Copper reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper (I) oxide (Cu₂O) with brownish-red color according to the following chemical reaction:

4Cu + O₂ → 2Cu₂O.

Second stage:

Cu₂O reacts further with oxygen to form copper(II) oxide (CuO), which is black in color according to the following chemical equation:

2Cu₂O + O₂ → 4CuO

The step by step cleaning process:

1- Remove the burner caps.

2- Place them in an old pot filled with water and one large spoon of white lemon powder.

3- Boil for 5 minutes.

4- Remove the burners while hot.

5- Simply wipe them with sponge and see the result. You can use an old tooth brush for corners.