Copper
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
| Copper | |||||||||||||||||||
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| General Info | |||||||||||||||||||
| Atomic Symbol | Cu | ||||||||||||||||||
| Atomic Number | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Atomic Weight | 63.546 g/mol63.546 amu | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chemical series | Transition metals | ||||||||||||||||||
| Appearance | metallic bronze 
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| Group, Period, Block | 11, 4, d | ||||||||||||||||||
| Electron configuration | [Ar] 4s1 3d10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 1 
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| CAS number | 7440-50-8 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Physical properties | |||||||||||||||||||
| Phase | solid | ||||||||||||||||||
| Density | 8.96 g/ml | ||||||||||||||||||
| Melting point | 1357.77 K1,084.62 °C 1,984.316 °F 2,443.986 °R | ||||||||||||||||||
| Boiling point | 2835 K2,561.85 °C 4,643.33 °F 5,103 °R | ||||||||||||||||||
| Isotopes of Copper | |||||||||||||||||||
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| All properties are for STP unless otherwise stated. | |||||||||||||||||||
Copper is a chemical element that is classified as a transition metal. Its atomic symbol is Cu and Atomic Number is 29. Copper is a common metal in our life, because copper is easily worked, purified, or mixed with other metals. We can see indications of copper from mythology and in human history. Some believe Copper was first discovered about 10,000 years ago. Today, copper is found in many places on earth, sometimes with other metals such as gold and silver and most often as an ore. Refined copper has a reddish color but if it has weathered the color changes to greenish. Copper is a good conductor of electricity, so it is used in many electronic parts and electric wires. Today the largest producer is Chile which produces more than 5 million metric tons per year, and the second is the USA which produces 1.2 million tons per year from mines in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Montana. Peru produces nearly as much as the USA, and China, Australia, Indonesia, Russia, Canada and Zambia were important in 2007.[1] Its price varies between $3 and $4 per pound in the USA.
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Properties
Copper is a transition metal; Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity. It has a reddish color (most metals are a silver grey),but if it has weathered, the color can change to a green valued for beauty in architecture. Copper is a lustrous metal and leaves reddish lines on a streak plate surface. If broken, copper doesn't show cleavage lines, but jagged fragments. Though copper is a cubic crystal, it can take various crystalline shapes.[2] Pure copper is only occasionally found. Copper’s hardness is 2.5~3.0, showing its ductile character, so we can easily change its shape. We can easily see copper products in our life such as cables, wires, motors, generators, and electronics. Native copper (not an ore but pure copper) is sometimes found in Michigan and Arizona, as well as certain other localities. [3]
Occurrences
Today, Copper is found in many places on earth, but mostly the copper doesn’t remain pure, but has mixed with other elements to form compounds. For example the compound Bornite (Cu5FeS4) contains Copper (Cu) so we can separate out copper and iron (Fe) from Bornite.[4] The source or ore of copper is usually one of the following compounds. List of compounds which contain copper: Bornite (Cu5FeS4), Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), Enargite (Cu3As5S4) Uprite (Cu2O), Malachite (CuCO3.Cu(OH)2), Chalcocite (Cu2S), Covellite (CuS). The Chalcocite contain about 80% copper. [5]
Uses
Copper is easily shaped, purified and alloyed. Pure copper slowly corrodes and weathers. Also, copper can pass many electrons so copper is a good conductor of electricity. Today copper is used in many parts in our life. In computers, we can easily see copper in the computer’s chip and internet cable. Recently, IBM changed a computer’s chip from Aluminum to Copper because Copper can be formed faster than Aluminum. Internet cables also use copper because copper can easily bend and is a good conductor of electricity. The US penny is 95% Copper and the Korean 10 won is also made from copper. Some medical treatments use copper as a supplement, and radioactive copper is used against some cancers. [6]
History of Copper
In human history copper is thought by some to have been first discovered about 10,000 years ago, but we don’t know who discovered copper. Many countries found copper at different times. The Balkans found copper at approximately 5,500BC, China found copper at 2,800BC, the Andes Indians found copper at 2000BC, the Central American Indians found copper in 600 AD, and the American Indians found copper at 6,000~3,000BC in Michigan and Wisconsin. In Greek and Roman mythology, copper was a symbol Aphrodite (Roman Venus). In the past the copper and gold were the first metals used because they can easily be shaped, however copper is too soft and bendable. People needed stronger metals for knives, swords and tools. At first zinc was added to copper to make brass, and later tin was added to copper to make bronze, both of which are harder than pure copper and make cutting edges which stay sharp longer.[7][8]
References
- Isotopes of Copper(Z=29)Nuclear Science Division LBNL, Isotopes Project, Group Leader- C.M. Baglin
- NATIVE COPPER unknown author
- Copper (element) Encyclopedia Article
- Copper unknown author
- Copper encyclopedia Article
- the copper website unknown author
- History of Copper Unknown Author.
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