Ouch. I think you need to do a little more research. Moisture, water, aqua is not really H20. It is in reality H(OH) otherwise known as Hydrogen Hydroxide. The OH radical is the stable molecule but the loose H atom is what redily reacts with substances. Water is also known as the Universal Solvent since it will dissolve almost everything given time. Even over time it will dissolve the glass it may be kept in which is basically Silicon Dioxide. However, corrosion, verdigris, toning, tarnishing or other terminologies to describe the combining of gasses with metals is not transferrable like a bacterium or germ or virus. Maybe someday, someone will find out Verdigris is really alive and attacks coins just to get Numismatist irritated, but till then, it is moisture, Oxygen, Fluorine, Chlorine, etc that has those messy effects. As long a those are present, the same will happen to the same metals. As an example if you live in a house and there is Copper piping there, you may have noticed that too is or has turned greenish in places. Usually this happens in areas where there have been steel mills or power stations that burn Sulfur Rich Coals. Although minor the SO or SO2 in the air mixes with the H OH forming Sulfuric or Sulfurous acids and attacks Copper to form the CuSO3 or 4 greenish crystalizations. Placing another piece of Copper next to or even on that pipe will not transfer such corrosions but in time the same contaminated air will effect that new piece of Copper the same. Or maybe corrosion is alive and moves to different coins to get us mad.
Ouch??? Let me reiterate - First, verdigris will not "grow" unless there are contaminates present that cause it. If the coin is removed from the contaminates, or the contaminates are removed from the coin, then any verdigris already present will not increase. Second, fresh copper placed in contact with verdigris will not "catch" verdigris unless, and only if, there are external contaminates present. Q.E.D.
Water does dissociate under normal conditions. [FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1][FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Hydrogen ion concentration in pure water around room temperature is about 1.0 × 10-7 M., which give it a pH of 7.0. [/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1][FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Hydrogen ion concentration in a PH of 5 is about[/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1][FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1] 1.0 × 10-5 M., [/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1][FONT=geneva,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif][SIZE=-1] hydrogen ion concentration in a pH of 9 is about 1.0 × 10-9 M. I think theoretically at absolute zero there is no pH as the atoms don't move. A pH of 7.0 is considered neutral because there are equal concentrations of H+ and OH- Jim [/SIZE][/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
__________________ I would use "environmental factors" rather than contaminants as some might not think of water and air as contaminants. I understand what you mean and yes, I agree. Any coin that is neutralized as Thad said and put into proper storage should be good for decades. If I was 25 or 30, I might start an experiment with a verdigris contaminated cent next to a non verdigris cent in a sealed vacuumed container, no air, no moisture. Jim
Well, not quite. There are no free Hydrogen Ions/Molecules/Atoms. If there were we wouldn't be looking for alternative energy sources. Water does contain some hydronium (H3O) ions and hydroxide (OH) ions. These two are formed by the self-ionization of two water molecules but this happens rarely at pH=7. The process is in equilibrium when intact water molecules dominate the mixture. At equilibrium the molarities for the hydronium ion and hydroxide ion are equal. The process is reversible and the equation is: H2O + H2O <---> H3O(1+) + OH(1-)
See why I don't bother with scientific explanations ? You end up with forty eleven different explanations, all of them throwing around what amounts to gibberish to most people, all of them disagreeing with each other of course, and yet every one swearing they are right and the others wrong. It's a whole lot easier to just explain it the way I did and let it go at that. Those who don't wish to believe it, fine by me. They'll eventually find out the hard way anyhow.
truer words were never said. i second the motion and those who take to my advice like a fish to water know what you guys have to do
