Copper Element Facts

• Copper is an element on the periodic table with a symbol of Cu.


• Copper has an atomic weight of 63.54.


• Copper has a specific gravity of 8.96, meaning copper weighs 8.96 times more than the same volume of water.


• For a metal, copper has a medium melting point. The melting point of pure copper is 1981 degrees Fahrenheit (1083 degrees Celsius).


• Copper has a boiling point of 4653 degrees Fahrenheit (2567 degree Celsius).


• Copper atoms are arranged in a face-centered cubic structure.


• Each copper atom contains 29 negatively charged electrons and 29 positively charged protons in the nucleus.

Copper Use in History

• Based on archaeological evidence, copper was the first metal used by people.


• Archaeological evidence indicates that copper was discovered around 8000 BC.


• Near 6000 BC, the Egyptians made weapons from copper.


• The 3rd phase of man's material development, the Bronze Age began in 5000 BC.


• Bronze is an important alloy made from copper and tin. The improved material signifantly improved the products people could make with metal at the time. Bronze is stronger than copper, melts at a lower temperature with easier casting than copper and is less corrosive than copper.


• Around 2750 BC Egypians made the first copper pipes.


• The Roman Empire found copper on the island of Cyprus. The word copper and the periodic table symbol are from the latin word cuprum which means "the metal of Cyprus".


• The Greeks and Romans began adding zinc to copper to make an alloy called brass around 1 BC.

Interesting Facts about Copper Use

• Copper is found in a variety of different minerals. The largest source of copper is the sulfide chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), found in huge deposits in the Americas.


• Most of the copper in the world is found in 4 locations including the United States western basin, Andes region of Peru and Chile, central Canada and Zambia, Africa.


• Copper is removed from the ore in a process called smelting. Smelting results in 99.99 percent pure copper.


• Copper does not react with water or steam. This is why it is used for copper plumbing pipes.


• Copper does, however, react slowly with gases from the air.


• When copper is exposed to moist air, it forms a green coating. If you touch this green coating make sure to wash your hands. The green coating is a poisonous compound of acetates, sulfates and chlorides. The green coating that builds up on copper is known as verdigris.


• Farmers use copper sulfate to treat their plants and trees. The copper sulfate help protect the plants against disease.


• Brass is used in many instruments because of its ability to reshape the material at a lower temperature and its excellent acoustic properties.


• Copper, bronze and brass were all used to make coins. In the United States brass (95 percent copper) was used in 1 cent pennies through 1981. 1982 pennies tranitioned to 95 percent zinc content, however some 1982 pennies are brass. In the U.K., bronze was used in penny's and 2 pence coins through 1992. After 1992, except 1998 (production issues), the penny and two pence coins are copper-plated steel.


• Use a magnet to determine if a penny is real copper or steel. If the magnet picks up the coin then the majority of the penny is steel or zinc, not copper.


• Much of the copper used today is recycled. Copper is easily recycled because it is not magnetic. Magnets can easily separate the scrap steel from the copper.


• Copper is useful in humans and other living things that breathe oxygen from the air. Humans must have copper to make a chemical called hemoglobin an important part of red blood cells. Without copper humans would not survive. Each day humans need about 2 mg of copper which we get naturally from the food we eat.