The Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognisable landmarks on the planet . If you were require to describe it , one of the first things you ’d likely bring up ( after the flannel mullein and chapeau , of course ) would be its typical blue - immature color .
But it was n’t always this color . As a newvideofrom the American Chemical Society explain , the original coloring material of the Statue of Liberty has commute since it was endow to the US by France in 1885 . It was originally a rather magnificent copper .
" In her first few decades in the Big Apple , the statue slowly turn from that shiny copper color to a deadening brown and then finally to the drear - greenness , or as they say back in France , ' verdigris ' , that we see today , " the American Chemical Society explains in their video .
The color change is the solvent of oxidation and air befoulment . It was n’t just one chemical reaction that stimulate this particular tad , but a combination of reaction over the years . The first vividness variety come when the copper on the statue reacted with oxygen in the air . The copper gave up electrons to the oxygen , leading to the mineral cuprite , which is a pink redness .
After that , the cuprite give up more electrons to oxygen , make tenorite , which is fatal , causing the statue to become darker still . But , of path , it did n’t end there .
The pee in the atmosphere , when mixed with sulfur , turn to sulfuric acid . When this was interracial with atomic number 29 oxide on the statue , it start to call on its typical light-green color . Chloride from the sea spray add together to this , making the statue even greener .
The statue has remained this people of color for over 100 geezerhood because the exposed pig is now chemically stable , but underneath that layer , it is still the original bronze . It ’s likely to remain this shade of green now that the exterior is amply oxidized .
When it was suggested that the gloss be restored to the original copper nicety , the populace protested the move , as they were now used to the iconic blue - immature shade .
