Natural cases of dealloying or stress-corrosion cracking in copper alloys normally occur in oxygenated solutions, where the cathodic reactant is O2 or Cu2+. Within cavities or under deposits, the local environment is enriched in cuprous ions (e.g. CuCl2-, Cu (NH3)2+) and the potential is close to the Cu/Cu+ equilibrium. Such conditions can be simulated macroscopically by stirring powdered Cu2O ...
