Copper

Symbol: Cu
Latin Name:Cuprum
Atomic number: 29
Electronic configutarion :[Ar]3d10 4s1

Ores of copper
a) Sulphide ores
Chalcopyrite/Copper pyrite (CuFeS2)
Chalcocite/Copper glance (Cu2S)
b) Oxide ores
Cuprite/ruby copper (Cu2O)
Malachite (CuCO3 .Cu(OH)2 )
Extraction of copper
Copper is extracted from copper pyrite in the following ways;
a) Crushing and pulverization
b) Concentration

S + O2 SO2
c) Roasting
Concentrated ore is heated in presence of air in
reverberatory furnace. During this following changes
occur;
i) Moisture is removed
ii) volatile impurities (S, P, As, Sb) are removed as their
volatile

C + O2 CO2

S + O2 SO2
 4 P + 5 O2 2 P 2 O5
4 As + 3 O2 2 As2O3
4 Sb + 3 O2 2 Sb2O3
iii) Ore gets oxidised
2 CuFeS2 + O2 Cu2S + 2FeS + SO2
2 Cu2S + 3O2 2Cu2O + 2SO2
2 FeS + 3O2 2FeO + 2SO2
* Here Cu2S and FeS are partially oxidised
d) Reduction (smelting)
Roasted ore is reduced by smelting. Smelting is done
in blast furnace.
 Ore, coke and sand

Charging door having

Waste gases double cup & cone
arrangement

Coke burns in presence

of hot air & temp.
Fire clay bricks
reaches to 1000C

Hot air Hot air

Slag outlet Mixture of sulphides of Cu

& Fe(copper matte)
contains 50% Cu
Blast furnace
Remaining ferrous sulphide gets oxidised
2FeS + 3 O2 2 FeO + 2SO2

FeO + SiO2 FeSiO3

(flux) (slag)
Removal of FeS is most important step because Cu2O is not
formed till FeS is present in the blast furnace. This is because
copper has greater affinity for sulphur than for oxygen. So
Cu2O reacts with unreacted FeS and forms Cu2S again.

Cu2O + FeS Cu2S + FeO

e) Bessemerization Waste gases
Basic lining
Fire clay bricks Steel

Tuyers

Slag

Molten copper matte &sand

Bessemer converter; pear shaped vessel
 2 FeS + 3O2 2 FeO + 2SO2
FeO + SiO2 FeSiO3
(slag)
Slag floating on the top of converter is removed and hot air blast is
continuously passed trough tuyers then

2 Cu2S + 3O2 2Cu2O + 2SO2

2 Cu2S + Cu2O 6 Cu + SO2

Thus formed molten Cu is allowed cool . While cooling dissolved SO2

escape out in the form of bubbles. Hence blisters appear on the
surface of solid Cu so it is called blister copper.
f) Purification
Blister copper is only 98% pure it contains 2% of impurities
such as Zn, Ni, Fe, Co, Ag, Au ,Pt.
i) Poling
3 Cu2O + CH4 6 Cu + 2H2O + CO
(Blister Cu (Hydocarbon (99% pure)
having oxide present in
impurities of itself) green pole)
ii) Electrolysis
At anode : Cu (S) Cu++(aq.) + 2 e-
At cathode : Cu++(aq.) + 2 e- Cu (S)

99.99 % pure
 Physical properties
1. copper has peculiar red colour
2. It is soft, malleable, ductile and specific gravity of 8.93
3. It is a good conductor of heat and eleticity.
4. It melts at 1083 oC and boil at 2582 oC

Chemical properties:
1 Action with air:
Copper is not affected by dry air at ordinary temp, but
moisture air and presence of carbondioxide, it converted
into the green basic carbonate.

2Cu + H2O + CO2 + O2 CuCO3.Cu(OH)2

dicopper carbonate dihydroxide
 300 oC
2Cu + O2 2CuO (cupric oxide)
above 1000 o C 2Cu2O
4Cu + O2
cuprous oxide

Action with acid:

2HNO3 2NO + H2O + 3 [O]

Cu + [O] CuO ] * 3

CuO + 2HNO3 Cu(NO3)2 + H2O ] *3

3Cu + 8HNO3 3Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO + 4H2O

dil. cupric nitric oxide
nitrate

Cu + Conc.H2SO4 CuSO4 + SO2 + 2H2O

2Cu + 2H2SO4+ O2 CuSO4 + 2H2O

sufficient
2Cu + 4HCl + O2 2CuCl2 +2H2O
hot cupric chloride
conc
2Cu + 2HCl Cu2Cl2 + H2
heated gas
cuprous
chloride

2HNO3 2NO2 + H2O + 3 [O]

Cu + [O] CuO

CuO + 2HNO3 Cu(NO3)2 + H2O

3Cu + 4HNO3 3Cu(NO3)2 + 2NO2 + 4H2O

conc cupric nitrogen
nitrate peroxide
Copper as a reductant:
Copper acts as a reducing agent and reduces ferric salt solution
to ferrous salts.
2Fe2(SO4)3 + Cu 2FeSO4 + CuSO4
Alloys formation:
1 Brass Copper and Zinc , generally the ratio is 2:1
2 Bronze Copper and tin (9:1)
3 Copper coin Cu(92.5%) and tin(7.5 %)
USES:
1 copper is largely used in electric industry
2 To form alloys like brass, bronze
3 its salt have been used in agriculture as insecticides and
pesticides.
Compound of Copper:
Cupric Oxide: CuO ( black oxide of copper)
Preparation
1 Cupric oxide is prepared by heating cupric hydroxide or
cupric nitrate.
heat
Cu(OH)2 CuO + H2O
heat
2Cu(NO3)2 2CuO + 4NO2 + O2
2 strongly heating of copper in air or oxygen
2Cu + O2 heat
2CuO
3 it may be prepared by heating the mineral malachite:

heat
CuCO3.Cu(OH)2 2CuO + H2O + CO2

heat
CuCO3 CuO + CO2
Properties
1 it is black hygroscopic powder insoluble in water
2 it dissolves in acids to give salt and water.
CuO + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O

CuO + 2HCl CuCl2 + H2O

CuO + 2HNO3 Cu(NO3)2 + H2O

3 it reduced to metallic state when heated with H2, C or CO

heat
CuO + C Cu + CO
heat
CuO + H2 Cu + H2O
heat
CuO + CO Cu + CO2
4 not affected by heating but when heated above 1000 oC , it
decompose to give cuprous oxide and oxygen.
heat
4CuO 2Cu2O + O2

Uses :
1. In the lab, it is used to estimate carbon and hydrogen
present in organic compound
2. It is used to provide light blue or green colour to glass
3. Used an oxidizing agent.
Cuprous Oxide: Cu2O ( red oxide of copper)
Preparation:
1 it is prepared by heating black oxide of copper with copper
heat
CuO + Cu Cu2O

2 it can be prepared by reduction of alkaline solution of copper

sulphate with glucose, formaldehyde etc
CuSO4 + 2NaOH Na2SO4 + Cu(OH)2

2Cu(OH)2 + C6H12O6 Cu2O + 2H2O + C6H12O7

glucose gluconic acid
3) It can be prepared by heating a mixture of Cu2Cl2 and
Na2CO3
Cu2Cl2 + Na2CO3 Cu2O + CO2 + NaCl
Properties:
1 it is red oxide solid, insoluble in water.
2 it is a basic oxide and dissolve in conc HCl to from cuprous
chloride but sulphuric and nitric acid give the
corresponding cupric salts
Cu2O + conc 2HCl Cu2Cl2 + H2O

Cu2O + concH2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O + Cu

Cu2O + cocn 2HNO3 Cu(NO3)2 + H2O + Cu

With dil. HNO3 cupric nitrate, water and nitric oxide are
formed.

3Cu2O + dil.14HNO3 6Cu(NO3)2 + 7H2O + 2NO

3 with ammonium hydroxide, it gives a complex.
Cu2O + 2NH4OH [Cu(NH3)2]OH
diamine copper hydroxide
USES:
1 Used in glass industry to make red glass
2 used as protecting paint to avoid rusting
3 used to prepare cuprous chloride.
Cupric sulphate: CuSO4.5H2O ( blue vitriol)
Preparation:
Lab preparation:
1.It can be prepared in the lab by reacting oxidies, hydroxides
or carbonate of copper with dil. Sulphuric acid
CuO + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O

Cu(OH)2 + H2SO4 CuSO4 + 2H2O

CuCO3 + H2SO4 CuSO4 + H2O +CO2

heat upto
CuSO4(aq) CuSO4.5H2O
crystallization
2.It can be prepared by action of copper with hot conc.H2SO4

Cu + 2H2SO4 CuSO4 + 2H2O + SO2

Manufacture:
By the action of dil.H2SO4 on copper scraps in the presence of
air.
heat
2Cu + 2H2SO4 + O2 2CuSO4 + 2H2O

Forms the solution of CuSO4, crystal are obtained by concentrating

and cooling.
heat
CuSO4 + xH2O CuSO4.5H2O
Properties :
1. It is blue, crystalline solid containing five molecules of
water crystallization.
2. On heating it loses water of crystallization in stages.
air 100 oC
CuSO4.5H2O CuSO4.3H2O CuSO4.H2O (bluish white)
blue pale blue 230 oC
crystal

CuSO4
colorless
anhydrous copper sulpahte
If anhydrous slat is further heated, it decompose to give cupric
oxide and sulphur dioxide.

above 640 oC
CuSO4 CuO + SO2 + O2
3. With sodium hydroxide solution it produced a pale blue ppt.
of its hydroxide.

CuSO4 + 2NaOH Cu(OH)2 + Na2SO4

4. With potassium iodide, it liberates iodine

CuSO4 + 2KI CuI2 + K2SO4

2CuI2 Cu2I2 + I2
this reaction is used for estimation of copper by iodometric
method.
Action with ammonia:
when copper sulphate solution is treated with ammonia, at
frist bluish white ppt. of copper hydroxide if formed. On
addition of excess of ammonia, the ppt. dissolves and intense
blue solution is obtained due to formation of tetramine
copper sulphate.
CuSO4 + 2NH4OH Cu(OH)2 + (NH4)2SO4

CuSO4 + 4NH4OH Cu(NH3)4SO4 + 4H2O

excess
tetramine Copper(II) sulphate
deep blue colour
The intense blue solution is known as Schweizer’s reagent.
Uses:
1. in medicine as an antiseptic
2. Used in agriculture as fungicide and germicide
3. Used in electroplating, electrotyping and dyeing
4. Anhydrous CuSO4 is used for detecting small quantities of
water in organic liquids.