why did the copper on the statue of liberty turn green but copper mugs and copper pipes don’t?
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In dry air, copper reacts with the oxygen in the air to form a reddish coating. Think “old penny”. In order to turn green, copper needs to get wet and then exposed to acids. These acids come from from dissolving air pollutants as well as carbon dioxide (C02) into the water. The acids then react with the copper oxide that first formed to make the green color. Copper pipes are generally dry on the outside. Without moisture, the air pollution and C02 can’t turn into an acid and so cannot attack the copper. Now copper utensils and pots and pans do get wet, but you don’t normally leave your pots and pans sitting in water for months at a time. Also kitchen items tend to get scraped and scrubbed so any green compounds probably just get rubbed off before they have a chance to build up.
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