Copper

Copper By:Kelley Champlin **
 * 

__**Element Abbreviation:**__ CU



__**Chemical Characteristics of the Element:**__ Copper has a melting point of 1083.4 +/- 0.2°C, and a boiling point of 2567°C.

__**Physical Characteristics of the Element:**__ Copper is a pinkish/reddish luster, which is (besides gold) unusual for metals. Metals are normally silvery and white. __**Where is the Element found in Nature?**__ Copper is an essential trace nutrient to all high rising plants and animals. In animals, including humans, it is found primarily in the blood stream. Sometimes Copper is found in its natural state. It is found in many minerals such as malachite, cuprite, bornite, azurite, and chalcopyrite. Naturally occurring Copper deposits are known in North America, South America, and Africa.

__**How is the Element recovered and purified?**__ The process of extracting copper from copper ore (naturally occurring mineral from which particular constituents, especially metals, can be profitably extracted) varies according to the type of ore and the desired purity of the final product. Each process consists of several steps in which unwanted materials are physically or chemically removed, and the concentration of copper is progressively increased. Some of these steps are conducted at the mine site itself, while others may be conducted at separate facilities. There are five steps in processing copper;


 * Mining-** Most sulfide ores are taken from huge open-pit mines by drilling and blasting with explosives. This produces an open pit that may grow to be a mile or more across. The exposed ore is scooped up by large power shovels capable of loading 500-900 cubic feet (15-25 cubic meters) in a single bite. The ore is loaded into giant dump trucks, called haul trucks, and is transported up and out of the pit.


 * Concentrating-** The copper ore usually contains a large amount of dirt, clay, and a variety of non-copper bearing minerals. The first step is to remove some of this waste material. This process is called concentrating.


 * Smelting-** Once the waste materials have been physically removed from the ore, the remaining copper concentrate must undergo several chemical reactions to remove the iron and sulfur. This process is called smelting


 * Refining-** Even though copper blister is 99% pure copper, it still contains high enough levels of sulfur, oxygen, and other impurities to hamper further refining. To remove or adjust the levels of these materials, the blister copper is first fire refined before it is sent to the final electrorefining process.


 * Casting-** After refining, the copper is melted and cast into ingots, cakes, billets, or rods depending on the final application. Ingots are rectangular or trapezoidal bricks, which are re-melted along with other metals to make brass and bronze products. Cakes are rectangular slabs, rolled to make copper plate, strip, sheet, and foil products. Billets are cylindrical logs several meters long. They are extruded or drawn to make copper tubing and pipe. Rods have a round cross-section about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in diameter. They are usually cast into very long lengths, which are coiled. This coiled material is then drawn down further to make copper wire.

__**How do we use the Element?**__ The element Copper is used in several ways. Copper is widely used in the electrical industry, as a heat conductor, an electrical conductor, building material, and as an element of various metal alloys (substance that is a mixture of two or more metals, or of a metal with a nonmetallic material). Braze and Bronze are two important copper alloys. It is second only to silver as an electrical conductor. Copper compounds are used in analytical chemistry.

__**What Products are made from this Element?**__ Copper is commonly used to produce a wide variety or products, including electrical wire, cooking pots and pans, pipes and tubes, automobile radiators, and many others. Copper is also used as a pigment and preservative for paper, paint, textiles, and wood. It is combined with zinc to provide brass, and with tin to produce bronze.



__**How are these Products Used?**__ Copper is used for construction/building materials, cooking, plumbing, and preserving. There are many other uses of Copper along the same lines as the one’s listed above.

__**Are there any Environmental Concerns due to this Use?**__ Waste products include the overburden from the mining operation, the tailings from the concentrating operation, and the slag from the smelting operation. This waste may contain significant concentrations of arsenic, lead, and other chemicals, which pose a potential health hazard to the surrounding area.

__**How Are Waste Products Disposed of?**__ In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the storage of such wastes and the remediation of the area once mining and processing operations have ceased. Currently over half the copper being produced in the United States comes from recycled copper.

__**Is the Element an important nutrient?**__ Yes, Copper is an important nutrient. In animals, including humans, it is found primarily in the bloodstream, as a co-factor in various enzymes and in copper-based pigments. Copper is essential for many physiological functions including iron metabolism, immunity and protection of tissues from oxidative stress. It is a primary element in the production of melanin in the human body. Melanin is responsible for pigmentation in the eyes, hair and skin.

__**What are the Nutritional Requirements?**__ Recommended intakes of copper vary, but the common agreement among professionals seems to be between 2 to 3 milligrams daily, most of which is obtained from dietary sources. One can meet the body’s requirement of copper intake by eating shellfish, many forms of nuts (brazilian, hazelnuts), Cocoa, honey, dried beans and whole-wheat products.

__**What are the Side Effects of Consuming Too Much or Not Enough?**__ Copper, in sufficient amounts, can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, headache, dizziness, weakness, diarrhea, and a metallic taste in the mouth. Copper toxicity is rare but can cause heart problems, jaundice, coma, and even death. Signs of possible copper deficiency include anemia, low body temperature, bone fractures and osteoporosis, low white blood cell count (the cells that help fight infection), irregular heartbeat, loss of pigment from the skin, and thyroid disorders. Infants who are deficient in this mineral tend to have poor feeding habits and lack proper growth.



__**Sources:** __ http://www.webelements.com/copper/ http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/copper.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081020130212AAC96nz http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5205/is_1996/ai_n19124731 http://www.inra.fr/productions-animales/spip.php?page=en-article&id_article=495 http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/copper-000296.htm