Weathering and Copper

My daughter was reading and learning about the layers of the atmosphere and what happens when pollutants in the air mix with water vapor in the clouds.  This can result in acid rain. 

The experiment we followed was to show the results of acid rain on The Statue of Liberty.  The Statue of Liberty is made of copper.

We found four copper pennies (1981 and earlier).  We lucked out because it is reported there is a coin shortage right now in the U.S.  We found the needed pennies and placed each one in different solutions for a week.

The one that showed the most dramatic results most mimicked the ocean with weather.  We learned quickly why the Statue of Liberty is green because our penny turned a turquoise color.  We accidentally forgot the pennies for a few days as we have only been doing half-days of school during the summer.

The result was by the time we completed the experiment, the penny with the most weathering had actually disintegrated quite a bit.  There was a noticeable weight difference between this penny and the other pennies that weren't in the most harsh solution.  The engraving of Lincoln was nearly gone and the date stamp had disappeared.

This was probably one of the most fun experiments that we have done.