"Copper to Silver to Gold: The Alchemist's Dream" is an experimental demonstration performed in many schools that involves Zn plating on a Cu coupon to induce brass plating. In this study, a novel method to achieve uniform plating is proposed using a 2.0mol/L ZnCl[subscript 2] aqueous solution, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and Al foil. This method significantly reduces the risks associated with the experimental and cleanup processes of conventional methods that use concentrated aqueous solutions of NaOH or ZnCl[subscript 2], together with Zn powder. Moreover, this method results in a more even deposition of silvery-white Zn on Cu coupons, and subsequent heating of the Zn-plated Cu coupon using a Bunsen burner results in the generation of a brass-plated coupon.