Copper (Cu)

Copper (Cu)
An Internet Hotlist on Copper

created by Bryna Cofrin-Shaw

Introduction | Amazing Sites | Great Sites | Good Sites | Not very helpful Sites

Introduction

Image from http://crystal-cure.com/pics/copper3.jpg

Atomic Number: 29
Atomic Mass: 63.546 amu
Reddish-Orange metallic
Transition metal (period 4)
Very malleable and ductile
Second most effective metal at conducting electricity
Boiling point: 2835 K (2567* C)
Melting point: 1357.77 K (1084.62*C)
Density: 8.95 g/cm3
Common compounds: sulfide chalcocite, chalcopyrite, covellite, bornite
Copper patina= green substance on old copper. It is the result of copper oxide being formed, followed by cuprous and cupric sulfide and copper sulfate. Examples include copper roofs and the Statue of Liberty
Copper serves many purposes in the human body:
* Energy production
* Estrogen
* Enzymes
Copper is toxic when ingested through food or water, excessive supplements, or through agricultural pesticides
Isotopes of copper with natural abundances: 63 (69.17% abundance), 65 (30.83% abundance)
Civilizations have been using copper since at least 10,000 years ago
Copper first appeared in China, Iraw, India, Greece, and Egypt
Common uses: wire, plumbing, coins, statues, motors, music instruments, cathode ray tubes, cookware, electromagnets
Copper is mined across the world, and in the USA is mined in Utah, Tennessee, and Nevada often.
Mining: copper ore is mined from an open pit and then dissolved to isolate the copper
Interesting facts:
* Police officers were originally called 'cops' because of their copper buttons
* The Statue of Liberty contains about 62,000 pounds of copper (this number is disputed)
* A copper penny actually costs 1.23 cents to make

The Internet Resources

Amazing Sites

Wikipedia - Copper - The copper page on Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia offers varied categories of information regarding Copper. Information is available on copper’s specific physical and chemical characteristics, as well as an in-depth description of its history and uses in architectural and household products, such as its use in roofing, cookware, doorknobs, and plumbing. There is a lot of information on copper’s chemical properties and how it reacts with other elements. Throughout the article, as well as listed at the end, are many links that lead to specific Wikipedia sites that provide more information and specific products made of copper (ex. coins, sterling silver) and places where it is most abundant. This is a very helpful site because of its clear organization and diverse types of information. ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻ ☻

Great Sites

Copper Chemistry - The website has in-depth information about copper’s history, occurrence, and uses. It is a very detailed site, but is written in a way that is easy to understand. Information is given through pictures, such as a picture of a copper shield, and paragraphs, so it is not a good place to go to quickly find data such as boiling point or atomic number, because these facts are scattered throughout. The diagrams and pictures shown are very detailed and easy to understand, and are relevant to the information described, such as a map of copper's abundance in Jamaica. On the bottom of the page is resources and citation information which shows that it is a reliable site and will be easy to cite. ☻☻☻☻
Copper- Chemical properties, health and environmental effects - This website provides a list of physical and chemical properties, as well as in-depth information about copper’s applications, health effects, and environmental effects. In the main description it discusses copper’s appearance, malleability and how it forms a green surface film in moist air. In the health effects and environmental effects, information given includes how copper poisoning can result in Wilson’s Disease, and how commonly it is found in soil because it is released during the burning of fossil fuels and then accumulates in rain water. This website has only one picture and no links or sites to go to for more information. However, it is very concise and provides a lot of beneficial information in a small amount of clear, detailed text. ☻☻☻☻
Copper: The Red Metal - This site provides 16 links, each about a different role that copper played in history. The links lead to sites that go in depth into the Bronze Age, mining, copper in Africa, copper’s role in the middle ages and the Renaissance and other specific topics. The individual sites feature maps and photographs of copper objects. This site is extremely helpful if someone has time and energy to read and record a lot of information, but cannot be understood or be very helpful by skimming the pages, because most of the sites’ text is very detailed and hard to understand unless read carefully. This site is easy to use because it features no advertising or unnecessary links, and has clear bibliographical information. ☻☻☻☻
Toxicology Profile for Copper - This website leads to a very detailed PDF file toxicology report. Specific sections of the toxicology report include health effects, production, import, and uses, which includes information such as the fact that the United States is a leading producer of copper, second to Chile. There is also information on the health hazards caused by copper, such as that high exposure to copper could cause drowsiness and vertigo. This report is very well organized, and it is easy to locate the sections and sub-sections, which is helpful since the file is 314 pages long. This website and PDF does not feature any unnecessary links or pictures, but it has virtually every piece of information known about copper’s toxicity and role in the world. ☻☻☻☻
World of Molecules - Copper - This website features information about copper’s properties, mining, history, occurrence and isotopes, among other things. Each section provides a few detailed paragraphs about that topic, including some interesting facts, such as that copper was associated with Aphrodite/Venus. A very helpful aspect of this site is its list of applications. This list includes all products that use copper and links to Wikipedia sites that go in depth into these products (ex. brass instruments, The Statue of Liberty). Another good feature of this site is its organized chart which displays all important physical and chemical properties, isotopes, and miscellaneous facts. ☻☻☻☻

Good Sites

About: Copper Facts - This website has basic info on copper such as atomic number and weight. It also has facts that are not featured on every source such as copper’s fusion heat (13.01 KJ/mol) and evaporation head (304.6 KJ/mol). This site does not have a lot of information on copper’s history, but it clearly states where in the world copper can be found and in what state. It features a very interesting picture of copper right before it melts that shows copper’s unique colors and characteristics. This site does not supply as much information about copper as some, but it is well organized and easy to use. It features many links that lead to further info about copper and other elements in the periodic table, including element quizzes and chemistry products. ☻☻☻
Chemicool: Copper - This is a very well organized site that has all of the specific quantitative data for copper. This includes information about copper’s states, reactions, dimensions, conductivity, and abundance. Since all of the info is divided into these categories, it is easy to find the particular figures. However, some of the data is measured in complicated units that would need further research to be done if the person wasn’t extremely knowledgeable about chemistry. This includes things such as hardness being measured in mohs, or ionic radius being measured in pm. Unfortunately, this site has no information on copper’s uses or history. ☻☻☻
Copper (element) - This webiste provides a brief description of copper’s properties, uses, and occurance. For instance, it describes why copper is so popular, especially for electrical appliances because of its conductivity. In the occurrence section, there is interesting information about the sulfides of copper, common combinations of copper and other elements which have been found, and where they are most abundant. This website features no pictures or links, but is written in a detailed, yet understandable manner. It does not have as much information as other sites, but a few interesting facts are scattered throughout the article which are not found on any other copper websites. ☻☻☻
Copper's Role in History, Culture and Religion - This website is part of a jewelry supply company, and therefore focuses on the artistic uses of copper and its history in relation to ancient societies and their jewelry. Although there is no information about copper as a chemical (such as melting point, isotopes, etc.) it goes into detail about copper in relation to Egypt, Asia, and Pre-columbian America. This site provides provides plenty of information about copper’s uses all around the world dating back thousands of years ago. Since it is a jewelry site rather than a chemistry site, information gathered here should be researched further to make sure that it is accurate. Overall, this site is helpful because it gives information that is not featured in much detail on any other site. ☻☻☻
Environmental Chemistry - Copper - This site provides concise and profuse information about copper’s physical and chemical properties. There is also environmental, structural and toxicity information, such as that a person can be exposed to copper through inhalation, ingestion, and skin and eye contact. This, however, is not an easy sight to understand. It appears to be written for someone who is very familiar with chemistry terms and units, because in order to understand things such as how much exposure a person should have, you must know what TWA means, and this is only one of many terms. This site has a few diagrams as well, but they are not detailed, and it has very little information on the history of copper. ☻☻☻
Periodic Table: Copper - This website is not very detailed, and only provides the basic information about copper (e.g. boiling point equals 2567.0 °C, density equals 8.96 g/cm3). However, it is a colorful, easy to use website that is well organized for being able to quickly find copper’s physical properties. One very helpful aspect of this site is its clear illustration of a copper molecule and its energy levels. It also has information on copper’s isotopes which is easy to understand. On the side of the site are links that lead to specific periodic tables that show each element’s specific characteristic. For instance, one table has all of the elements’ boiling points, and another shows each one’s date of discovery. ☻☻☻
Visual Elements - Copper - This is a simple site that leads to other pages about copper, and in total they provide a lot of information. This information includes a detailed description of copper, how copper is used, where it is found, important isotopes, and oxidation states. Examples include copper sulfates role as an agricultural poison and that excess copper is toxic. This site provides information in organized tables and colorful text and pictures. It does not go in depth into any particular aspect of copper, but is understandable and also includes links to interactive periodic tables. ☻☻☻
Web Elements - Copper - This site provides clear, basic information about copper. This site also features a few unique facts about this metal, such as its use in fireworks. The site has many links on the sides of the page and scattered throughout the page. This is helpful if somebody wanted to find books or merchandise related to the periodic table, or things related to copper such as buying roof tiles, but it also makes the page very busy and harder to find helpful information. There are is a Quicktime movie about copper and fireworks, and some audio links with audio descriptions and pronunciations. ☻☻☻

Not very helpful Sites

Copper Toxicity Syndrome - This site is all about Copper Toxicity Syndrome. It discusses, in great detail, how to detect a copper imbalance, what these types of imbalances are, and how much copper should be in a person or a child. It also provides rather strange information about the “copper personality” which states that high-copper people are often young-looking and are caring, sensitive, and artistic. Information is written in a way that is easy to understand, but is not given in any tables or charts, which make it harder to find specific data. In fact, this site gives no information about copper’s physical or chemical characteristics or anything chemistry related. This is a very interesting site, but focuses on copper’s role in society much more than its role in the periodic table. ☻☻

Content by Bryna Cofrin-Shaw, bcofrin-shaw@sbschool.org
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listcopperbr.html
Last revised Fri Dec 14 10:43:40 US/Pacific 2007