1.) Why can a solid copper penny be dissolved in nitric acid, but not in hydrochloric acid? Modern pennies are made from zinc metal plated with copper. What happens to a modern penny when it is placed inside a bath of hydrochloric acid after the penny is scratched, exposing some of the zinc?

Chemistry
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ISBN:9781305957404
Author:Steven S. Zumdahl, Susan A. Zumdahl, Donald J. DeCoste
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Chapter4: Types Of Chemical Reactions And Solution Stoichiometry
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1.) Why can a solid copper penny be dissolved in nitric acid, but not in
hydrochloric acid? Modern pennies are made from zinc metal plated with
copper. What happens to a modern penny when it is placed inside a bath of hydrochloric acid after the penny is scratched, exposing some of the zinc?

2.) The deteriorating iron framework inside the Statue of Liberty was replaced with stainless steel as part of a major restoration project. The work was finished in 1986, exactly one hundred years after the statue was first
completed. To avoid any electrochemical contact between the metals, the new stainless steel frame and the external copper plates covering the statue were separated using Teflon spacers. The original statue was constructed using asbestos pads as insulating spacers. Apparently, the pads were still able to act as a conductor (in conjunction with moisture and gases from the atmosphere). Why was the iron framework on the interior of the statue most in need of repair and not the copper plating exposed to the atmosphere on the exterior of the statue?

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