Why is this element important in everyday life?
Copper is important in everyday life because of its numerous desirable properties. It is an excellent conductor of electricity (only second to silver) and heat, and very resistant to corrosion. Copper, also being a soft metal, is soldered and bent easily, making it noted for its malleability and ductility. It is also known for its beauty, making copper an important asset to sculpture and jewelry.
Copper is also one of the oldest known and used metals. It was one of the first metals to be used in the ancient world, including those of Egypt, China, the Asia Minor, Europe, Crete, and Cyprus. In fact, the word "copper" is a derivative of the Latin word "cuprum"- meaning "metal of Cyprus", where it was mined in great quantities by the Ancient Romans. It was used for ancient coins throughout history, and was formed into many important alloys.
Copper is made into two main alloys, bronze and brass. These metals, bronze, a combination of tin and copper, and brass, a combination of zinc and copper, are used in many different ways. Bronze is one of the oldest alloys, used since the Bronze Age 3,000 years ago. It has been used for coins, bells and statues. Brass is one of the most widely used alloys, used for brass work, jewelry, artwork, and musical instruments.
Copper itself has a myriad of uses. It has been used for coinage, cooking utensils, vats, and ornamental objects. It also has been used for sheathing wooden ships, and making electrotypes for printing. But it's principal use lies in electrical related tools, such as electrical wiring, lamp cords, and machinery ( generators, controllers, signaling devices, and electromagnets).
Where is this element found in nature?
Copper is not found simply lying on the ground, however, to obtain copper, it must be mined. It is found as copper ores, which usually contains one to two percent pure copper. There are three main types of copper ore, besides native copper. These are chalcocyrite, bornite, and chrysocolla. All of these ores are found in volcanic areas.
To purify copper , it must first be ground into small particles and placed in a tank of oil and soap detergent. Thus, impurities sink to the bottom, while the copper is coated with oil and rises to the surface. These ores are then roasted (heated in a smelting furnace with oxygen-enriched air). After this is done, the ores are now 98.5% to 99.5% pure, but they still must be passed through a low current of voltage before they are 100% pure, and can be plated out.
Copper is sometimes found in pure form. The largest piece ever found weighed around 520 metric tons. This was mined from Minnesota Mine, Michigan.
What are the properties of the element?
General Characteristics =
Copper is commonly recognized by its metallic orange-brown color. A soft metal, it belongs to the Transition Metals on the Periodic Table. This metal is not radioactive, and in fact, it has an extremely low inactivity. Copper also is an excellent conductor of electricity. It has many alloys and is the most widely used metal.
Furthermore, copper is one of the oldest known metals, probably used since prehistoric times. Because of this, and its great resistance to corrosion, it has been known and used worldwide.
Atomic Symbol = Cu
Period Number = 4
Group Number and Family Name =Transition Metals, Group Eleven
Atomic Number =29
Atomic Mass =63.546
Density =8.96 g/mL
Melting Point =1,083 degrees Celsius (1,981 degrees Fahrenheit)
Boiling Point =2,567 degrees Celsius ( 4,753 degrees Fahrenheit)
Electron Configuration =Cu-1s22s22p63s23p64s13d10
Shorthand Notation =Cu-(Ar)4s13d10
Common Reactions =Copper is one of the most inactive transition metals, seconding only to Silver and Gold. Although mainly resistant, air and water in the presence of weak acids slowly corrode it, producing a green carbonate of copper, called verdigris or platina. This turns copper a green color, such as the color on the Statue of Liberty.
Interesting Information =Copper is also one of the more important trace elements. It is existent in many enzymes throughout the body, and numerous copper-containing proteins are present in the blood, the brain, and the liver. Copper deficiency is associated with failure to use iron in the formation of hemoglobin in the body.
Copper is an exception to the electron configuration rule, having only one electron in the 4s level and ten electrons in the 3p level. This exception gives copper a more stable spread of electrons, making copper a virtually inactive metal.
Who is Cypra Cuprum?
Cypra sat in the old rocking chair, staring out the window and watching the cars zooming by. She shook her head in disbelief, part of her marveling at how the world had changed, while the other part desperately longing for the way it used to be.
Cypra was old, ancient by today's standards. As a Cuprum, she was the only one left from the Ancient times. She saw the rise and fall of so may great empires, from the Egyptians to the Romans, and all along how the Cuprum line spread, grown, and mixed with other kinds. Oh, they were still known worldwide, but the power they once held was now given away to half-breeds and man-made elements.
Cypra remembered when she was young. Pure, bright, and beautiful, she possessed all the traits of a Cuprum. With her brilliant red hair and even temper she was a prime pick. But it was the Cuprum's ability to do almost anything that makes them so sought after. They had so many uses and they could be made to do anything. Yes, perhaps that was also the downfall of the Cuprums.
They could be manipulated, convinced, and persuaded . Cypra was no different. She was soft, she trusted everyone. Like her kind, she was reliable, passing information without distorting the truth. As the world changed that was now the Cuprum's main use- conducting information.
But what they once had was gone. New elements sprang up like mushrooms, combining with Cuprums or replacing them all together. Cypra remembered the Bronze Age, when a Tinok and a Cuprum formed a metal, Bronze that shook the world.
This new line was easier to beguile and did a better job than just a Cuprum would. The Cuprums began to feel the beginnings of replacement. Soon a Cuprum and a Zincoff formed the Brass line. But these new breeds just lead to numerous compounds.
A pure Cuprum had soon lost its value. They were still popular, used as messengers in a modern world that desperately relied on the information the Cuprums passed. A world so different from what once had been.
Cypra had aged well, her hair still shone a gleaming red, but now streaks of pale green had started to show through. She had been persuaded and manipulated throughout her life. And perhaps she was not as strong as her peers. But she knew that as long as the world existed, there would be a place for her kind. Because, like her, the Cuprums were survivors.
