Declan Fleming shows how copper can in fact react with some acids by demonstrating the reaction of copper and nitric acid, producing a visually stunning reaction. Read the article that accompanies this video in the November 2011 issue of Education in Chemistry at http://rsc.li/EiC611ec

This is part of the Education in Chemistry Exhibition Chemistry series: chemistry demonstrations to capture your students' imaginations: http://rsc.li/EiCExChem