Effective Ways to Clean Tarnished Gas Stove Burners

Chemistry in the kitchen!

Cleaning gas stove burners is an intimidating process for everyone. We all want to remove the tarnish. We aim to remove the dull, almost black surface. Our goal is to restore the lustrous look of copper.

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

Metals like copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, magnesium, and neodymium are vulnerable to tarnishing over time. The outermost layer of the metal/metal alloy undergoes a chemical reaction—corrosion. Copper tarnishes like iron rusts. This occurs when the surface of the metal oxidises due to exposure to oxygen and moisture over time.

Copper (Cu) corrosion occurs in stages. It results in the black colour 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 colour 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 colour 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.