Question

Lemon or tamarind is used for cleaning copper vessels turned greenish.

Answer 1

• Copper reacts with carbon dioxide in the air to form copper carbonate.
• As a result, copper loses its shiny brown surface forming a green layer of copper carbonate.
• The citric acid present in the lemon or tamarind neutralizes the basis copper carbonate and dissolves the layer.
• Therefore, greenish copper vessels are cleaned with lemon or tamarind juice to give luster to the surface of the copper vessel.