Question

<!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--> Paheli bought a statue made of copper. To her surprise, it acquired a dull green coating after a couple of months. Explain the reason.

Answer 1

<!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--> When a copper statue (or copper vessel) is exposed to moist air for long, it acquires a dull green coating. The green material is a mixture of copper hydroxide [$Cu(OH{)}_2$] and copper carbonate ($CuC{O}_3$) formed due to the reaction of copper with moist air. The green coating is commonly known as ‘basic copper carbonate’ and the formation of green coating on copper objects show the corrosion of copper.