Copper metal has a very distinct red color that makes it easy to identify. It is the only common metal to occur in the elemental state in nature. However, when copper forms a compound, the color tends to change. For example CuO is black, CucO3 is green, CuSO4 and Cu(NO3)2 are blue, and CuS2 can be black or brassy yellow if it is an ore. Copper is mined mainly in United States, Chile, Zambia, Zaire, Peru and Canada.

 

Symbol:

 Cu

 

  http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/cu.html

Atomic Mass:

 63.546

 

Atomic Number:

 29

 

Melting Point:

 1083 °C

 

Boiling Point:

 2567 °C

 

Density in Natural State:

 8.92 g/cm3

 

Natural Abundance:

 70 parts per million 

 

 

 

 

  1. The following is the extraction process for copper. Even after the copper has been extracted it is only 99.9 percent pure.

  2. How to obtain Copper:

  3. The following is the extraction process for copper. Even after the copper has been extracted it is only 99.9 percent pure.

  4. Crush ore into small pieces.

  5. Mix pieces together to form a soup-like mixture of crushed ore and water called a slurry.

  6.  Spin the slurry around in a large vat with steel balls. (The steel balls to crush the ore to a fine powder.)

  7. Blast air through the slurry. (The impure copper will rise to the top and the unwanted materials will sink.)

  8. Skim the copper off the top of the slurry.

  9. Dissolve the copper mixture in H2SO4.

  10. Place bars of iron into the copper and sulfuric acid mixture. (The iron has a higher activity than copper so it will react with the H2SO4 instead of the copper.)

  11. Remove copper off of iron vars.

  12. Dissolve copper in H2SO4 again.

  13. Pass an electrical current through the solution, copper metal will be deposited  on one of the metal electrodes. (Information obtained from Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Krypton.)

 

Copper has 29 protons, 29 electrons, and 35 neutrons. This element has 4 valence shells. Below is its electron shell configuration.

Electron Shell Configuration:

1s2

2s2

2p6

3s2

3p6

3d10

4s1

  

 

  

Copper tends to react with fluorides, chlorides, bromides, iodides, hydrides, oxides, selenides, and tellurides. It does not tend to react with nitrides.

 

     Here are the names of copper in several languages around the world:

        (Information found at http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/Cu.html)

 

Basic Information, History, Uses, Isotopes, Reference

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