Abstract
A method of preparation of synthetic ignorgaic coating on copper (patina) has been presented . An Eh--pH diagram was constructed for the present Cu-H2O-SO$_4$ system using the most recently available thermodynamic data. In the path of the patination at room temperature the general behaviour of copper in acidic copper sulfate solutions with potassium chlorate as an oxidizing agent appeared to follow those predictable in this Eh-pH diagram. In the presence 0.05 molar cupric sulfate at a temperature of about 28$^{\circ}C$ a green brochantite (CuSO$_4$$.$3Cu(OH)$_2$) layer was formed on copper sheet in 20 days. In a solution having an initial pH of 3.5 the development of a brochantite coating has been observed to take place in two stages. In the first, a layer of cuprous oxide formed on the copper at a relatively rapid rate. In the ensuing step the outer layer of cuptrite was oxidized at much slower rate to form brochantite. The syntetic coatings appeared to consist of crystal-lites of brochanitite growing perpendicular to the cuprose oxide surface. The outer tips of the -crystallites were reasily broken off and gave to the layer a rather chalky character. Underneath, at the brochantite Cu$_2$O interface, however, the green layers were firmely attached. The effect of reagent concentration , solution agitation , and moderate temperature increase were investigated to improve the quality of coating. So also in a qualitative way were the effect of light.