Question

Statue of liberty made of an alloy of copper has turned green. Which of the following compounds has it coated with to give green color?
A. Basic copper sulfide
B. Basic copper nitrate
C. Basic copper sulfate
D. Basic copper carbonate

Answer 1

Hint: The Statue of Liberty's exterior is made of copper, and it turned that shade of green because of oxidation. Copper is a noble metal, which means that it does not react readily with other substances. The Statue's copper is only three-thirty-seconds of an inch thick and unusually pure.

Complete step by step answer:
New York's iconic, blue-green statue of liberty wasn't always green. When the statue was gifted to the US from France in 1885, she was actually a shiny copper color. A new video reveals the chemical reactions involving oxygen and even air pollution that led to her color change from copper to liberty green. This is because of the formation of the basic copper carbonate on the oxidation of the copper alloy with which the statue of Liberty is made of. Basic copper carbonate is a chemical compound, more properly called copper(II) carbonate hydroxide. It is an ionic compound (a salt) consisting of the ions copper(II) (\[C{u^{2 + }}\]) , carbonate ($CO_3^{2 - }$ ) and hydroxide ($O{H^ - }$ ). Basic copper alloy is generally formed by the reaction of carbon dioxide with copper alloy of the Statue of Liberty. The formula of basic copper carbonate is \[C{u_2}{\left( {OH} \right)_2}C{O_3}\] .
Thus, the correct option is D. Basic copper carbonate.

Note:
Basic copper carbonate has been used as pigment. Basic copper carbonate is decomposed by acids, such as solutions of hydrochloric acid \[HCl\] , into the copper(II) salt and carbon dioxide. It has also been used in some types of make-up, like lipstick, although it can also be toxic to humans.