Answer 1:
I'll have to be honest with you in that I don't
know what the exact reaction is that makes your
skin turn green when exposed to copper. But let
me give you a little bit of background on what I
know and maybe you'll be able to find it for
yourself.
Copper, when exposed to certain chemicals,
can form several different copper "salts"
which are green. Now, your body is always
secreting chemicals through your skin (in your
perspiration, etc.). My guess, is that something
from your perspiration (which you are always
doing, not just when you're sweating during
exercise!) reacts with the copper and is making
one of these green salts. Two copper salts that
I'm pretty sure are green are copper sulfate
and copper acetate, but I don't know if these
are the salts that are actually forming on your
skin. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but
the Statue of Liberty is actually made of copper,
and at one time wasn't the green color it is
today. It's turned green over the years due to
exposure to the environment.
Again, while I'm not sure about this, there is
some amount of sulfur in the air (sulfur can come
from burning coal, for example), and "acid rain"
is actually made up of sulfuric acid. My guess is
that a copper sulfate has been formed to give the
Statue its green appearance. I also wouldn't be
surprised if there were additional salts as well
that contributed to the color. Click Here to return to the search form.
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