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Copper is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.
Copper is a reddish-coloured metal, with a high electrical and thermal conductivity (among pure metals at room temperature, only silver has a higher electrical conductivity). Copper has its characteristic color because it reflects red and orange light and absorbs other frequencies in the visible spectrum, due to its band structure. Contrast this with the optical properties of silver, gold and aluminium.
Copper is insoluble in water(H2O) as well as isopropanol, or isopropyl alcohol.
There are two stable isotopes, 63Cu and 65Cu, along with a couple dozen radioisotopes. The vast majority of radioisotopes have half lives on the order of minutes or less; the longest lived, 64Cu, has a half life of 12.7 hours, with two decay modes, leading to two separate products.
There are numerous alloys of copper—speculum metal is a copper/tin alloy, brass is a copper/zinc alloy, and bronze is a copper/tin alloy. Monel metal is a copper/nickel alloy, also called cupronickel.
Copper is malleable and ductile, and is used extensively, in products such as:
In Greek times, the metal was known by the name chalkos (χαλκός). Copper was a very important resource for the Romans and Greeks. In Roman times, it became known as aes Cyprium (aes being the generic Latin term for copper alloys such as bronze and other metals, and Cyprium because so much of it was mined in Cyprus). From this, the phrase was simplified to cuprum and then eventually Anglicized into the English copper.
Copper was known to some of the oldest civilizations on record, and has a history of use that is at least 10,000 years old. A copper pendant was found in what is now northern Iraq that dates to 8700 BC. By 5000 BC, there are signs of copper smelting, the refining of copper from simple copper oxides such as malachite or azurite. The earliest signs of gold use, by contrast, appear around 4000 BC.
Ancient Copper ingot from Zakros, Crete. The ingot is shaped in the form of an animal skin, a typical shape of copper ingots from these times.There are copper and bronze artifacts from Sumerian cities that date to 3000 BC, and Egyptian artifacts in copper and copper alloyed with tin nearly as old. In one pyramid, a copper plumbing system was found that is 5000 years old.
The Egyptians found that adding a small amount of tin made the metal easier to cast, so bronze alloys were found in Egypt almost as soon as copper was found. Use of copper in ancient China dates to at least 2000 BC. By 1200 BC excellent bronzes were being made in China. Note that these dates are affected by wars and conquest, as copper is easily melted down and reused. In Europe, Oetzi the Iceman, a well-preserved male dated to 3200 BC, was found with a copper-tipped axe whose metal was 99.7% pure. High levels of arsenic in his hair suggests he was involved in copper smelting.
The use of bronze was so pervasive in a certain era of civilization that it has been named the Bronze Age. The transitional period in certain regions between the preceding Neolithic period and the Bronze Age is termed the Chalcolithic, with some high-purity copper tools being used alongside stone tools.
Alchemical symbol for copperBrass, an alloy of zinc and copper, was known to the Greeks but first used extensively by the Romans.
Copper was associated with the goddess Aphrodite/Venus in mythology and alchemy, owing to its lustrous beauty, its ancient use in producing mirrors, and its association with Cyprus, which was sacred to the goddess.
In alchemy the symbol for copper was also the symbol for the planet Venus.
Copper is essential in all higher plants and animals. Copper is carried mostly in the bloodstream on a plasma protein called ceruloplasmin. When copper is first absorbed in the gut it is transported to the liver bound to albumin. Copper is found in a variety of enzymes, including the copper centers of cytochrome c oxidase and the enzyme superoxide dismutase (containing copper and zinc), and is the central metal in the oxygen-carrying pigment hemocyanin. The blood of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, uses copper rather than iron for oxygen transport. [1]
It is believed that zinc and copper compete for absorption in the digestive tract so that a diet that is excessive in one of these minerals may result in a deficiency in the other. The RDA for copper in normal healthy adults is 0.9 mg/day.
All copper compounds, unless otherwise known, should be treated as if they were toxic. Thirty grams of copper sulfate is potentially lethal in humans. The suggested safe level of copper in drinking water for humans varies depending on the source, but tends to be pegged at 1.5 to 2 mg/l. The DRI Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults of dietary copper from all sources is 10 mg/day. In toxicity, copper can inhibit the enzyme dihydrophil hydratase, an enzyme involved in haemopoiesis.
An inherited condition called Wilson's disease causes the body to retain copper, since it is not excreted by the liver into the bile. This disease, if untreated, can lead to brain and liver damage. In addition, studies have found that people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia had heightened levels of copper in their systems. However it is unknown at this stage whether the copper contributes to the mental illness, whether the body attempts to store more copper in response to the illness, or whether the high levels of copper are the result of the mental illness.
The metal, when powdered, is a fire hazard. At concentrations higher than 1 mg/L, copper can stain clothes and items washed in water.
Copper can be found as native copper in mineral form. Minerals such as the carbonates azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2) and malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2) are sources of copper, as are sulfides such as chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), bornite (Cu5FeS4), covellite (CuS), chalcocite (Cu2S) and oxides like cuprite (Cu2O).
Most copper ore is mined or extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in copper porphyry deposits that contain 0.4 to 1.0 percent copper. Examples include: Chuquicamata in Chile and El Chino mine in New Mexico. The average abundance of copper found within crustal rocks is approximately 68000 parts per billion by mass, and 22000 parts per billion by atoms.
The Intergovernmental Council of Copper Exporting Countries (CIPEC), defunct since 1992, once tried to play a similar role for copper as OPEC does for oil, but never achieved the same influence, not least because the second-largest producer, the United States, was never a member. Formed in 1967, its principal members were Chile, Peru, Zaire, and Zambia.
Common oxidation states of copper include the less stable copper(I) state, Cu+1; and the more stable copper(II) state, Cu+2, which forms blue or blue-green salts. Under unusual conditions, a +3 state can be obtained.
Copper(II) carbonate is green from which arises the unique appearance of copper-clad roofs or domes on some buildings. Copper(II) sulfate forms a blue crystalline pentahydrate which is perhaps the most familiar copper compound in the laboratory. It is used as a fungicide, known as Bordeaux mixture.
There are two stable copper oxides, copper(II) oxide (CuO) and copper(I) oxide (Cu2O). Copper oxides are used to make yttrium barium copper oxide (YBa2Cu3O7-δ) or YBCO which forms the basis of many unconventional superconductors.
Copper (I) compounds : copper(I) chloride, copper(I) oxide.
Copper (II) compounds : copper(II) carbonate, copper(II) chloride, copper(II) hydroxide, copper(II) nitrate, copper(II) oxide, copper(II) sulfate, copper(II) sulfide.
Copper (I) and Copper (II) can also be referred to by their common names cuprous and cupric.
Add aqueous sodium hydroxide. A blue precipitate of copper(II) hydroxide should form, by the displacement of the copper ions by sodium ions.
Ionic equation:
Add aqeuous ammonia. A precipitate should form, which then dissolves upon adding excess ammonia, to form an ammonia complex, tetraaminecopper(II).
Ionic equation:
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Ionic equation:. Rolex Daytona Cosmograph. A precipitate should form, which then dissolves upon adding excess ammonia, to form an ammonia complex, tetraaminecopper(II). Daytona USA, racing arcade game. Add aqeuous ammonia. 1969-1992 Dodge Daytona. Ionic equation:. 1968-1976 Ferrari Daytona. A blue precipitate of copper(II) hydroxide should form, by the displacement of the copper ions by sodium ions. 1964-1965 Shelby Daytona. Add aqueous sodium hydroxide. Automobiles:
Copper (I) compounds : copper(I) chloride, copper(I) oxide. Automobile races at Daytona International Speedway:
Copper(II) sulfate forms a blue crystalline pentahydrate which is perhaps the most familiar copper compound in the laboratory. Copper(II) carbonate is green from which arises the unique appearance of copper-clad roofs or domes on some buildings. Under unusual conditions, a +3 state can be obtained. Common oxidation states of copper include the less stable copper(I) state, Cu+1; and the more stable copper(II) state, Cu+2, which forms blue or blue-green salts. Formed in 1967, its principal members were Chile, Peru, Zaire, and Zambia. The Intergovernmental Council of Copper Exporting Countries (CIPEC), defunct since 1992, once tried to play a similar role for copper as OPEC does for oil, but never achieved the same influence, not least because the second-largest producer, the United States, was never a member. The average abundance of copper found within crustal rocks is approximately 68000 parts per billion by mass, and 22000 parts per billion by atoms. Examples include: Chuquicamata in Chile and El Chino mine in New Mexico. Most copper ore is mined or extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in copper porphyry deposits that contain 0.4 to 1.0 percent copper. Minerals such as the carbonates azurite (Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2) and malachite (Cu2CO3(OH)2) are sources of copper, as are sulfides such as chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), bornite (Cu5FeS4), covellite (CuS), chalcocite (Cu2S) and oxides like cuprite (Cu2O). Copper can be found as native copper in mineral form. At concentrations higher than 1 mg/L, copper can stain clothes and items washed in water. The metal, when powdered, is a fire hazard. However it is unknown at this stage whether the copper contributes to the mental illness, whether the body attempts to store more copper in response to the illness, or whether the high levels of copper are the result of the mental illness. In addition, studies have found that people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia had heightened levels of copper in their systems. This disease, if untreated, can lead to brain and liver damage. An inherited condition called Wilson's disease causes the body to retain copper, since it is not excreted by the liver into the bile. In toxicity, copper can inhibit the enzyme dihydrophil hydratase, an enzyme involved in haemopoiesis. The DRI Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults of dietary copper from all sources is 10 mg/day. The suggested safe level of copper in drinking water for humans varies depending on the source, but tends to be pegged at 1.5 to 2 mg/l. Thirty grams of copper sulfate is potentially lethal in humans. All copper compounds, unless otherwise known, should be treated as if they were toxic. The RDA for copper in normal healthy adults is 0.9 mg/day. It is believed that zinc and copper compete for absorption in the digestive tract so that a diet that is excessive in one of these minerals may result in a deficiency in the other. [1]. The blood of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, uses copper rather than iron for oxygen transport. Copper is found in a variety of enzymes, including the copper centers of cytochrome c oxidase and the enzyme superoxide dismutase (containing copper and zinc), and is the central metal in the oxygen-carrying pigment hemocyanin. When copper is first absorbed in the gut it is transported to the liver bound to albumin. Copper is carried mostly in the bloodstream on a plasma protein called ceruloplasmin. Copper is essential in all higher plants and animals. In alchemy the symbol for copper was also the symbol for the planet Venus. Copper was associated with the goddess Aphrodite/Venus in mythology and alchemy, owing to its lustrous beauty, its ancient use in producing mirrors, and its association with Cyprus, which was sacred to the goddess. Brass, an alloy of zinc and copper, was known to the Greeks but first used extensively by the Romans. The transitional period in certain regions between the preceding Neolithic period and the Bronze Age is termed the Chalcolithic, with some high-purity copper tools being used alongside stone tools. The use of bronze was so pervasive in a certain era of civilization that it has been named the Bronze Age. High levels of arsenic in his hair suggests he was involved in copper smelting. In Europe, Oetzi the Iceman, a well-preserved male dated to 3200 BC, was found with a copper-tipped axe whose metal was 99.7% pure. Note that these dates are affected by wars and conquest, as copper is easily melted down and reused. By 1200 BC excellent bronzes were being made in China. Use of copper in ancient China dates to at least 2000 BC. The Egyptians found that adding a small amount of tin made the metal easier to cast, so bronze alloys were found in Egypt almost as soon as copper was found. In one pyramid, a copper plumbing system was found that is 5000 years old. There are copper and bronze artifacts from Sumerian cities that date to 3000 BC, and Egyptian artifacts in copper and copper alloyed with tin nearly as old. The earliest signs of gold use, by contrast, appear around 4000 BC. By 5000 BC, there are signs of copper smelting, the refining of copper from simple copper oxides such as malachite or azurite. A copper pendant was found in what is now northern Iraq that dates to 8700 BC. Copper was known to some of the oldest civilizations on record, and has a history of use that is at least 10,000 years old. From this, the phrase was simplified to cuprum and then eventually Anglicized into the English copper. In Roman times, it became known as aes Cyprium (aes being the generic Latin term for copper alloys such as bronze and other metals, and Cyprium because so much of it was mined in Cyprus). Copper was a very important resource for the Romans and Greeks. In Greek times, the metal was known by the name chalkos (χαλκός). Copper is malleable and ductile, and is used extensively, in products such as:. Monel metal is a copper/nickel alloy, also called cupronickel. There are numerous alloys of copper—speculum metal is a copper/tin alloy, brass is a copper/zinc alloy, and bronze is a copper/tin alloy. The vast majority of radioisotopes have half lives on the order of minutes or less; the longest lived, 64Cu, has a half life of 12.7 hours, with two decay modes, leading to two separate products. There are two stable isotopes, 63Cu and 65Cu, along with a couple dozen radioisotopes. Copper is insoluble in water(H2O) as well as isopropanol, or isopropyl alcohol. Contrast this with the optical properties of silver, gold and aluminium. Copper has its characteristic color because it reflects red and orange light and absorbs other frequencies in the visible spectrum, due to its band structure. Copper is a reddish-coloured metal, with a high electrical and thermal conductivity (among pure metals at room temperature, only silver has a higher electrical conductivity). . Copper is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. of Delaware, Horseshoe Crab Fun Facts Accessed 12-12-2005. NOAA and Univ. Copper: Technology & Competitiveness (Summary) Chapter 6: Copper Production Technology; Author: Office of Technology Assessment 2005. Los Alamos National Laboratory - Copper. Copper was sometimes used by the Inuit to make the cutting blade for ulu's. As a material in the manufacture of computer heatsinks, as a result of its superior heat dissipation capacity to aluminium. It is used in gardening powders and sprays to kill mildew. Copper(II) sulfate is used as a poison and a water purifier. Compounds, such as Fehling's solution, have applications in chemistry. Copper doorknobs are used by hospitals to reduce the transfer of disease, and Legionnaire's Disease is supressed by copper tubing in air-conditioning systems. Bacteria will not grow on a copper surface because it is biostatic. As a biostatic surface in hospitals, and to line parts of ships to protect against barnacles and mussels, originally used pure, but superseded by Muntz Metal. Musical instruments, especially brass instruments. As a component in ceramic glazes, and to color glass. Sterling silver, if it is to be used in dinnerware, must contain a few percent copper. Most flatware (knives, forks, spoons) contains some copper (nickel silver). In cookware, such as frying pans. As a component of coins, often as cupronickel alloy. cupronickel and Monel, used as corrosive resistant materials in shipbuilding. Alloyed with nickel, e.g. There is increasing use of copper in integrated circuits, replacing aluminium because of its superior conductivity. Wave guides for microwave radiation. Vacuum tubes, cathode ray tubes, and the magnetrons in microwave ovens. Electrical relays, electrical busbars and electrical switches. Watt's steam engine. Electrical machines, especially electromagnetic motors and generators. Electromagnets. Statuary: The Statue of Liberty, for example, contains 179,200 pounds (81.3 tonnes) of copper. Doorknobs and other fixtures in houses. Copper plumbing. Copper wire. |