What am I?

(These are all separate things, by the way.)

I run but I cannot walk; I have a bed but never sleep.

I am found in locks which no key can open

My cousin turns grey things orange, and is despised; but I turn orange things green, and I am left undisturbed.

You can find me in a needle, in a storm, even on a potato.

I am a metal, yet I am composed of non-metal.

Originally posted by Acolyte

My cousin turns grey things orange, and is despised; but I turn orange things green, and I am left undisturbed.

I am a metal, yet I am composed of non-metal.

A river.

A river. Or hair.

...

An Eye.

...

Originally posted by Acolyte

My cousin turns grey things orange, and is despised; but I turn orange things green, and I am left undisturbed.

I believe the answer is photosynthesis, and it's cousin is oxidization (rust).

Originally posted by Polynikes
I believe the answer is photosynthesis, and it's cousin is oxidization (rust).

You're right about the cousin, but photosynthesis does not directly turn orange things green.

Um...I'm no chemist, but isn't it oxidisation that makes copper (orange) go green as well?

Originally posted by jimmyb270
Um...I'm no chemist, but isn't it oxidisation that makes copper (orange) go green as well?

Yep, but like rust the substance has a more specific name.

So you mean chloroplasts, then? Or maybe you want chlorophyll?

Originally posted by Acolyte
Yep, but like rust the substance has a more specific name.

i think the word you want is "corrosion".
the green layer on copper, when it looks nice (such as on a dome) is called "patina".

the "metal composed of a non-metal" might be metallic hydrogen. i don't know that for sure though.

I reckon the 'metal composed of non-metal' refers to the music genre, heavy metal.

Originally posted by BarefootChessPlayer
i think the word you want is "corrosion".
the green layer on copper, when it looks nice (such as on a dome) is called "patina".

the "metal composed of a non-metal" might be metallic hydrogen. i don't know that for sure though.

I was looking for 'patina' or 'verdigris'.

Personally I would prefer to see nice shiny orange copper domes, but presumably enough people like verdigris that it's left alone; in fact it probably gets generated artificially if copper domes have to be replaced. I once went to a town where the river was exactly the colour of verdigris, quite an odd effect in conjunction with real verdigris on some of the buildings.

The metal composed of non-metal is a play-on-words.

I dont know

i think the first one is a river, the second one is water, as in the locks in dams or something... the third is whatever acolyte said.. hum..was it petina or sometyhing?? I didn't get the fourth one yet... and the last one is heavymetal, as someone else said. hum.. I think I got them all wrong though...