Science

Copper

Why it is possible for copper to remain on the bed of a lake without reacting with anything?

K18 Wed 15/10/08 20:24

<< Previous

Next >>

Subscribe to question

Post an Answer

dundurn
Thurs 16/10/08
09:06

No one's replied to you in over 12 hours so I'll give you my guess! I'm assuming we're talking about a freshwater lake so we don't have the heightened salt concentrations of seawater to worry about. At the bottom of a lake there may be little or no current flowing so the water condirions may be constant over long periods. The temperature will be low, not much above freezing, so many chemical reactions that would occur even at room temperature will be inhibited. Any plant detritus in the water will tend to decay over time. The small organisms which do this will absorb much if not all of the available oxygen. The end result is that copper, which if memory serves is a relatively inert metal, will remain unchanged for quite long periods.

terambulan
Thurs 16/10/08
09:11

inert until mum polishes it away! ;)

no.knowledge
Thurs 16/10/08
09:11

because it is in a plastic bag with a brick in it to drown it ?

or am i thinking of something else?

eltelioni
Thurs 16/10/08
12:01

This inertness makes copper useful for water pipes.

Avatar
Thurs 16/10/08
13:40

he's not on shift

heathfield
Thurs 16/10/08
15:40

The copper will have a thin layer of copper oxide on its surface. In a lake bottom, the oxygen levels may be very low, and insufficient to further pemeate this layer. Carbonic and organic acids will remove this oxide, and lead to marked corrosion, but if they are absent, the copper will last for ages

Post an Answer

Submit the above question and answers

add to del.icio.us	add to digg	add to furl
add to reddit	add to Technorati	add to Blinklist
add to StumbleUpon	add to squidoo	add to ma.gnolia
add to Cocomment	add to Netscape	add to Fark