Ziganti 1 Barton Ziganti H.

Chemistry, 3-4 January 6, 2011 Copper: The Metal of Ages The element known as copper is the twenty ninth member on the periodic table of elements. It is the most cheated metal of all. The solid shares the same IB transition metal group as gold and silver, yet copper is not considered a precious resource. However, this small pink and brown ore has had, and still is making, a huge impact on the Earth and its inhabitants far greater than a shiny piece of jewelry. Copper, or more exactly [Ar] 4s1 3d9, has a unique set of properties which make it desirable. It is ductile, and malleable, however it is a polycrystalline metal, meaning it is formed by many small crystals called grains and therefore has a greater strength than one-crystal (or monocrystalline) metals (Wikipedia). Copper is also a very conductive metal. This is due to its odd electron configuration- the s-orbital only has one electron instead of two, which makes it an exception of Madelung's Rule. What this means is that there is only one electron in the valence shell and it always takes part in conduction. Its high level of conductivity means it is very useful in electronic components and wiring. Copper also has a very rich history. Copper History tells us that Copper was the first metal mined and crafted by man, and has been the most important one in the oldest times of history The discovery of the process needed to obtain copper from its ores was a very important event in our history: an event which gave birth to metallurgy and laid the grounds for the development of our great industries (Rameria).

Ziganti 2 Use of the metal has been recorded as early as 10,000 years ago in Iraq and it was honed to a precise art around 3000 B.C. in Egypt and Fertile Crescent. It gradually moved through to Europe a millennium later where it would spawn a new age, The Bronze Age. Bronze was made by mixing Copper with the element Tin, which made a harder, yet still easily cast and workable metal. These characteristics led to bronze being used in a variety of roles from household items like pots and coins, to weapons and decoration. Copper would dominate the metallurgical scene until the use of iron became commonplace. However, then it by no means disappeared. The Greeks and Romans made extensive use of the metal in art and architecture. The latter civilization even gave its name, cupris, named after the island Cyprus where it was extensively mined and sold for one of the largest profit margins ever recorded. (Cyprus was actually so productive that the Romans militarily annexed it in 58 B.C. for a slice of the pie.) Coppers use in art has lived on through the ages as it has been used widely in sculpture such as Rodins Thinker. Today copper still rules by its wide use from pennies to heating pipes. But before modern day usage can be discussed, the modern day technique for extracting this metal must be expressed. Copper ore is found in granitic and basaltic rock (Ask.com). This ore is mined from huge pits in the earth and transported in trucks to refineries. The material then needs to be cleaned of impurities1. To do this, the ore is crushed and floated in water, alcohol, and chemical reagents to seperate the metal from dirt and other impurities. Next, the metal is put into a furnace and mixed with a silica material known as flux (How Copper is Made). The furnace melts the metal and impurities (such as iron) are mixed with the silica and float to the top as slag where they are skimmed off, while the copper sinks to the bottom. After this smelting process the copper is 99% pure. The United States is currently the largest producer and exporter of copper in the world, selling a total of about 5.4 billion dollars worth in 2007 (Workman).

Ziganti 3 In the modern day world, copper is used for a variety of reasons. In the United States, about 58% of copper is used for electrical wiring while 22%... is an important component of corrosion-resistant tubing including water pipes. (Workman). Copper is also used extensively in construction, as its ductility and conductivity make it ideal in applications such as radiators, piping and roofing materials. The metal is also used in transportation and industrial equipment. Lastly, as with their predecessors thousands of years ago, the United States uses copper in coins, proudly displaying Abe Lincoln on the penny. Copper has had many uses over the thousands of years it has been known. Ever since the first man decided to melt down the orange rock and put it into a cast copper has dominated the metallurgy world. And for the thousands of years since, mankind has found thousands of uses for copper. New advances in the smelting process and new geographical detection breakthroughs are increasing the efficiency of how copper is found and extracted. Copper is not rusting away any time soon and will continue, as it has for 10,000 years to change the course of humanity.

Ziganti 4 Work Cited "Answers.com - Where Is Copper Found." WikiAnswers - The Q&A Wiki. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_is_copper_found>. "Copper Electrical Building Wire Systems." CopperInfo.com. International Copper Association. 03 Dec. 2010 <http://www.copperinfo.com/cproducts/building.electrical.electrical.html>. "Copper History." Rinomata Rameria Mazzetti. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. <http://www.rameria.com/inglese/history.html>. "Copper." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2 Dec. 2010. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 03 Dec. 2010 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper>. "How Copper Is Made - Material, Used, Processing, Steps, Product, Raw Materials, The Manufacturing Process of Copper, Quality Control, Byproducts/Waste, The Future." How Products Are Made. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. <http://www.madehow.com/Volume 4/Copper.html>. Workman, Daniel. "US Copper Exports & Imports in 2007: American Copper Shipments Gain 14.4% Fuelled by Asian Demand." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. 09 Sept. 2008. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. <http://www.suite101.com/content/us copper-exports-imports-in-2007-a68028>.

Ziganti 5 1 I realize that in a three page paper the process of refining copper cannot be fully explained so a graphic will hopefully aid a readers curiosity.

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