Characteristics and Properties of Copper
– Copper is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal.
– It has high thermal and electrical conductivity.
– Pure copper has a pinkish-orange color.
– Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity.
– It is a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver and cupronickel.
– Copper has a red-orange metallic luster.
– Its standard atomic weight is 63.546±0.003.
– The boiling point of copper is 2835K (2562°C, 4643°F).
– The density of copper is 8.96g/cm (near room temperature).
– Copper has a thermal expansion of 16.5µm/(m⋅K) at 25°C.
– Copper reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form a layer of copper oxide, protecting the metal from further corrosion.
– It can tarnish when exposed to sulfur compounds, forming copper sulfides.
– Copper oxidizes to form a green patina called verdigris.
– Galvanic corrosion can occur when copper is in contact with another metal in the presence of an electrolyte.
– Copper has 29 isotopes.
– Two isotopes, copper-63 and copper-65, are stable and make up about 69% of naturally occurring copper.
– The other isotopes are radioactive, with copper-64 being the most stable.
– Copper-64 is used as a radioactive tracer for positron emission tomography.
– Isotopes with a mass number above 64 decay by β, while those below 64 decay by β and have a half-life of 12.7 hours.
– Copper is present in the Earth’s crust in a proportion of about 50 parts per million (ppm).
– It occurs in various minerals, including native copper, copper sulfides, copper sulfosalts, copper carbonates, and copper oxides.
– The largest mass of elemental copper discovered weighed 420 tonnes.
– Native copper is a polycrystal, with the largest single crystal ever described measuring 4.4 × [missing information].
– Copper is produced in massive stars.
Production and Reserves of Copper
– Chuquicamata in Chile is one of the world’s largest open-pit copper mines.
– Most copper is extracted from large open-pit mines in porphyry copper deposits.
– Chile is the top producer of copper, followed by the United States, Indonesia, and Peru.
– In-situ leach process is another method of copper recovery.
– Polymetallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean are being researched as an alternative source of copper.
– Over 95% of all copper ever mined has been extracted since 1900.
– The total amount of copper on Earth is vast, but only a fraction is economically viable.
– Estimates of copper reserves available for mining vary from 25 to 60 years.
– Recycling is a major source of copper in the modern world.
– The price of copper is volatile and has experienced fluctuations over the years.
– The majority of copper ores are sulfides, such as chalcopyrite and bornite.
– Concentration of the ore is required, followed by froth flotation.
– Smelting and electrolysis are used to purify the copper.
– Oxide ores are also processed through extraction with sulfuric acid solutions.
– Copper can be recovered from mine tailings and heaps using various methods.
– Copper is recyclable without any loss of quality.
– Copper is the third most recycled metal after iron and aluminum.
– Approximately 80% of all copper ever mined is still in use today.
– The process of recycling copper is similar to the extraction process but with fewer steps.
– High-purity scrap copper is melted and reduced into billets and ingots.
Environmental Impacts of Copper
– Copper mining has an environmental cost, with emissions of greenhouse gases.
– Mismanagement of mining waste can render land sterile and negatively impact nearby rivers and forests.
– Copper mining waste can alter water properties, making it inhospitable for aquatic life.
– The Philippines is an example of a region where land is overexploited by mining companies.
– Environmental impacts of copper mining include changes in water chemistry and habitat destruction.
Alloys and Compounds of Copper
– Numerous copper alloys have been formulated, including brass and bronze.
– Copper is an important constituent of silver and karat gold solders.
– Some lead-free solders contain copper.
– Cupronickel, an alloy of copper and nickel, is used in low-denomination coins.
– Alloys of copper with aluminum have a golden color and are used in decorations.
– Copper forms a rich variety of compounds with oxidation states +1 and +2.
– These compounds are often called cuprous and cupric, respectively.
– Copper compounds promote or catalyze numerous chemical and biological processes.
– Cuprous and cupric oxides are important binary compounds of copper.
– Copper(I) sulfide and copper monosulfide are significant copper sulfides.
– Copper(II) gives a deep blue coloration in the presence of ammonia ligands.
– Copper forms coordination complexes with ligands.
– Aqueous sodium hydroxide causes the precipitation of light blue solid copper(II) hydroxide.
– Many other oxyanions form complexes with copper(II), including acetate, nitrate, and carbonate.
– Copper(II) sulfate forms a blue crystalline pentahydrate, commonly used in the laboratory.
– The simplest compounds of copper are binary compounds containing only two elements.
– Examples include oxides, sulfides, and halides.
– Both cuprous and cupric oxides are known.
– Cuprous halides with fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine are known.
– Cupric halides with fluorine, chlorine, and bromine are known, while attempts to prepare copper(II) iodide yield only copper(I) iodide and iodine.
– Compounds that contain a carbon-copper bond are known as Source URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper
