Copper

Copper

Basic Facts about Copper :

Copper is a chemical element with the 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- pinkish-orange colour. 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 jewellery, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins, and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement.

Copper is found in the free metallic state in nature. This native copper was first used (c.8000 BCE) as a substitute for stone by Neolithic (New Stone Age) humans. Copper was one of the first metals ever extracted and used by humans, and it has made vital contributions to sustaining and improving society since the dawn of civilization. Copper was first used in coins and ornaments starting about 8000 B.C., and at about 5500 B.C., copper tools helped civilization emerge from the Stone Age. The discovery that copper alloyed with tin produces bronze marked the beginning of the Bronze Age at about 3000 B.C.

Copper used in buildings, usually for roofing, oxidizes to form a green verdigris (or patina). Copper is sometimes used in decorative art, both in its elemental metal form and in compounds as pigments. Copper compounds are used as bacteriostatic agents, fungicides, and wood preservatives. Copper is essential to all living organisms as a trace dietary mineral because it is a key constituent of the respiratory enzyme complex cytochrome c oxidase. The softness of copper partly explains its high electrical conductivity (59.6×10⁶ S/m) and high thermal conductivity, second highest (second only to silver) among pure metals at room temperature.

MORE FACTS ABOUT COPPER

Copper was the first metal to be worked by man, along with gold and meteoritic iron. This is because these metals were among the few that exist in their native state, meaning the relatively pure metal could be found in nature. The use of copper dates back more than 10,000 years.
Copper has a reddish-metallic colouring unique among all the elements. The addition of copper to gold is how rose gold is made.
Copper is an essential element for human nutrition. The mineral is critical for blood cell formation and is found in many foods and most water supplies. Foods high in copper include leafy greens, grains, potatoes, and beans.
Copper readily forms alloys with other metals. Two of the best-known alloys are brass (copper and zinc) and bronze (copper and tin), although hundreds of alloys exist.
Copper is a natural antibacterial agent. It is common to use brass door handles in public buildings (brass being a copper alloy) because they help prevent disease transmission. The metal is also toxic to invertebrates, so it is used on ship hulls to prevent the attachment of mussels and barnacles. It is also used to control algae.
Copper has many desirable properties, characteristic of transition metals. It is soft, malleable, ductile, and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, and it resists corrosion. Copper does eventually oxidize to form copper oxide, or verdigris, which is a green colour. This oxidation is the reason the Statue of Liberty is green rather than reddish-orange.
In terms of industrial use, copper ranks third, after iron and aluminium. Copper is used in wiring (60 percent of all copper used), electronics, building construction, cookware, coins, plumbing and a host of other products.
There are two common oxidation states of copper, each with its own set of properties. One way to tell them apart is by the colour of the emission spectrum when the ion is heated in a flame. Copper (I) turns a flame blue, while copper (II) produces a green flame.
Nearly 80 percent of the copper that has been mined to date is still in use. Copper is a 100 percent recyclable metal. It's an abundant metal in Earth's crust, present at concentrations of 50 parts per million.
Copper readily forms simple binary compounds, which are chemical compounds consisting of only two elements. Examples of such compounds include copper oxide, copper sulphide, and copper chloride.

Copper Atomic Data

Atomic symbol	Cu
Atomic number	29
Atomic mass	63.546
Density	8.96 g/cm3
Melting point	1357.77 K, 1084.62°C, 1984.32°F
Boiling point	2835 K, 2562°C, 4643°F
Electrical resistivity	16.78 nΩ·m (at 20 °C)
Electron configuration	[Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s¹
Thermal conductivity	401 W/(m·K)
Mohs scale hardness	3.0
Thermal expansion	16.5 µm/(m·K) (at 25°C)

Applications :

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.
It i9s also used in industrial machinery such as heat exchangers.
Copper is an easily molded base metal that is often added to precious metals to improve their elasticity, flexibility, hardness, colour, and resistance to corrosion. Gold is one of the most common alloyed metals with copper.
As the Egyptians documented, copper is known to kill many germs on contact. Dr. Bill Keevil at the University of Southampton found that MRSA (an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacterial staph) cannot survive on copper surfaces the way it can on the platinum metals often used in hospital building railings, doorknobs, and beds. With the help of his research, hospitals are installing copper touch surfaces around the world to halt the spread of bacterial infections in hospital settings.

Test Report :

SAMPLE PARTICULARS	COPPER NICKEL
PARAMETERS TESTED	Cr, Ni, Cu, Al, Si, Sn, Ca, p & Fe on (DB)
TEST METHOD	Cu, Ni, & Cr) – BY IBM, P-By Wet Chemical Method, sl – By Gravimetric Method (Al, Sn, Ca& Fe) – By AAS, Sulphur – By CS Analyser)