Today Ivy students became scientists that investigated why The Statue of Liberty is green if it is made of copper!
We discussed that The Statue of Liberty was built of copper and that copper is normally brown, but overtime when mixed with air and water copper turns green. I found several pennies that were made before 1981, when pennies were still made of copper, and were slightly green similar to that of The Statue of Liberty. We then mixed vinegar and salt and added the pennies to the mixture. Students were shocked when they noticed that their pennies were turning back to the original copper color! One student asked, "Why can't they do this to The Statue of Liberty?" Good question!! :)
Overall, students learned that copper can turn green overtime when it's mixed with water and air. They also learned that copper that has been turned green can become brown again when mixed with vinegar and salt.
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