Copper
Copper is a chemical element with symbol Cu (from Latin: cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a reddish-orange color. Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins, and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement.
Copper Facts: Chemical and Physical Properties
COPPER BASIC FACTS
- Atomic Number: 29
- Symbol: Cu
- Atomic Weight: 63.546
- Discovery: Copper has been known since prehistoric time. It has been mined for more than 5000 years.
- Electron Configuration: [Ar] 4s1 3d10
Word Origin: Latin cuprum: from the isle of Cyprus, which is famed for its copper mines - Properties: Copper has a melting point of 1083.4 +/- 0.2°C, boiling point of 2567°C, specific gravity of 8.96 (20°C), with a valence of 1 or 2.
Copper is reddish colored and takes a bright metallic luster. It is malleable, ductile, and a good conductor of electricity and heat. It is second only to silver as an electrical conductor.
Uses: Copper is widely used in the electrical industry. In addition to many other uses, copper is used in plumbing and for cookware. Brass and bronze are two important copper alloys. Copper compounds are toxic to invertebrates and are used as algicides and pesticides. Copper compounds are used in analytical chemistry, as in the use of Fehling's solution to test for sugar. American coins contain copper.
Sources: Sometimes copper appears in its native state. It is found in many minerals, including malachite, cuprite, bornite, azurite, and chalcopyrite. Copper ore deposits are known in North America, South America, and Africa. Copper is obtained by smelting, leaching, and electrolysis of the copper sulfides, oxides, and carbonates.
Copper is commercially available at a purity of 99.999+ %.
Element Classification: Transition Metal
Isotopes: There are 28 known isotopes of copper ranging from Cu-53 to Cu-80. There are two stable isotopes: Cu-63 (69.15% abundance) and Cu-65 (30.85% abundance).
COPPER PHYSICAL DATA
- Density (g/cc): 8.96
- Melting Point (K): 1356.6
- Boiling Point (K): 2840
- Appearance: Malleable, ductile, reddish-brown metal
- tomic Radius (pm): 128
- Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 7.1
- Covalent Radius (pm): 117
- Ionic Radius: 72 (+2e) 96 (+1e)
- Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 0.385
- Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 13.01
- Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 304.6
- Debye Temperature (K): 315.00
- Pauling Negativity Number: 1.90
- First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 745.0
- Oxidation States: 2, 1
- Fattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic
- Lattice Constant (Å): 3.610
- CAS Registry Number: 7440-50-8
- Copper Trivia:
- Copper has been used since ancient times.
- Historians even call the period of time between the Neolithic and Bronze Ages the Copper Age.
- Copper(I) burns blue in a flame test.
- Copper(II) burns green in a flame test.
- Copper's atomic symbol Cu is derived from the Latin term 'cuprum' meaning 'metal of Cyprus'.
- Copper sulfate compounds are used to prevent fungus and algae growth in standing water supplies such as ponds and fountains.
- Copper is a red-orange metal that darkens to a brown color as it is exposed to air. If it is exposed to air and water, it will form a verdigris of blue-green.
- Copper has an abundance of 80 parts per million in the Earth's crust.
- Copper has an abundance of 2.5 x 10-4 mg/L in sea water.
- Copper sheets were added to the bottom of ships to prevent 'biofouling' where seaweed, assorted other greenery and barnacles would cling to ships and slow them down. Today, copper is mixed into the paint used to paint the underside of ships.
Use of Copper
Most copper is used for electrical appliances (60%); construction, such as roofs and pipes (20%); industrial machinery, such as heat exchangers (15%); and metal alloys (5%).
Copper is ideally used as an electrical grid cable as it is easily handled, can be drawn into fine wire, and has high electrical conductivity.
Historically, copper was the first metal to be worked by people. The discovery that it could be hardened with a little tin to form the alloy bronze gave the name to the Bronze Age.
Traditionally it has been one of the metals used to make coins, along with silver and gold. However, it is the most common of the three and therefore the least valued. All US coins are now copper alloys, and gun metals also contain copper.
Others uses Most copper is used in electrical equipment such as wiring and motors. This is because it conducts both heat and electricity very well, and can be drawn into wires. It also has uses in construction (for example roofing and plumbing), and industrial machinery (such as heat exchangers).
Copper sulfate is used widely as an agricultural poison and as an algicide in water purification.
Copper compounds, such as Fehling’s solution, are used in chemical tests for sugar detection.
Copper Health Effects
Copper can be found in various types of food, in drinking water, and in the air. Therefore, humans absorb some of the copper during feeding, drinking, and breathing. Copper is an important element for human health. However, the amount of intake is too great will cause health problems.
An extra high intake will cause liver damage, kidney, and even death.
There are studies that show a relationship between long-term exposure to high concentrations of copper and decreased intelligence in children.
Exposure to copper fumes and dust can cause metal smoke fever accompanied by changes in atrophy of the mucous membrane.
Chronic copper poisoning can lead to Wilson's disease characterized by cirrhosis of the liver, brain damage, demyelization, kidney disease, and copper deposits in the cornea.
Impact of Copper Environment
When on the ground, copper will be bound to organic and mineral materials.
Copper is not damaged in the environment and therefore can accumulate in plants and animals while on the ground.
On soils with very high copper content, only a small number of plants can survive.
That's because there is not much plant diversity near the plant or copper waste disposal.
Copper can also interfere with the activity in the soil because it negatively affects the activity of microorganisms and earthworms.
When farmland is contaminated with copper, livestock will eat high concentrations of copper that can damage the health of livestock.
Conclusion
Copper has been a major influence in our technology, history and medical practices. With its recyclable qualities and natural abundance it is a metal with staying power. Its uses have spanned centuries and more important today than ever before. Without copper, you wouldn’t be able to read this article as the copper is needed for the processing units within the computer. Copper is another fantastic find by our ancestors.