Copper Facts Chemical and Physical Properties

Copper is a well-known element because of its distinctive reddish metallic color and because it occurs in pure form in daily life. Here is a collection of facts about this beautiful transition metal: Fast Facts: Copper Element Symbol: CuAtomic Number: 29Atomic Weight: 63.546Appearance: Reddish-orange solid metalGroup: Group 11 (transition metal)Period: Period 4Discovery: Middle East (9000 BC) Essential Copper Facts Atomic Number: The atomic number for copper is 29, which means every copper atom contains 29 protons. Symbol: Cu (from Latin: cuprum) Atomic Weight: 63.546 Discovery: Copper has been known since prehistoric time. It has been mined for more than 5000 years. Mankind has used the metal since at least 9000 BC in the Middle East. A copper pendant dated to 8700 BC was found in Iraq. Scientists believe only iron from meteorites and gold were used by people earlier than copper. Electron Configuration: [Ar] 4s1 3d10 Word Origin: Latin cuprum: from the isle of Cyprus, which is famed for its copper mines and Old English coper and copper. The modern name copper first came into use around 1530. Properties: Copper has a melting point of 1083.4 /- 0.2Â °C, boiling point of 2567Â °C, specific gravity of 8.96 (20Â °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 Fehlings 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 Atomic Radius (pm): 128 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 7.1 Covalent Radius (pm): 117 Ionic Radius: 72 (2e) 96 (1e) Specific Heat (20Â °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 Lattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 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.Coppers 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 Earths 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. Sources Hammond, C. R. (2004). The Elements, in Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (81st ed.). CRC press. ISBN 0-8493-0485-7. Kim, BE. Mechanisms for copper acquisition, distribution and regulation. Nat Chem Biol., T. Nevitt, DJ Thiele, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, March 2008, Bethesda MD. Massaro, Edward J., ed. (2002). Handbook of Copper Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana Press. ISBN 0-89603-943-9. Smith, William F. Hashemi, Javad (2003). Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 223. ISBN 0-07-292194-3. Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.