Copper

Hey! You are finally here. Wonderful. Some people have been seeing copper wire, but it seems like they don't even know much about it. Copper is one of the less reactive metals which belongs to the group of an element known as the noble metals. The main source of copper is pyrites ( CuFeS2 ).

How can we get copper?

Copper can be extracted commercially by roasting copper pyrite in air. The copper obtained by this process is usually impure and it is purified by electrolysis. The electrolysis set up consist of impure copper as the anode, pure copper as the cathode and copper sulphate ( CuSO4 ) as the electrolyte.

How does copper looks like?

Copper is a soft, red solid lustre with a relative density of about 8.95. It is very malleable and ductile. It has a melting point of 1080^C.

How does copper react when exposed to the atmosphere?

Since copper has a low reactivity hence, it is stable on exposure to the atmosphere. However, when exposed to moist atmosphere, it is gradually covered with a green basic copper (ii) tetraoxosulphate(vi), CuSO4. 3Cu(OH)2, and trioxocarbonate(IV).  In case of sea air, copper is coated with barium chloride. When copper is heated in air, it oxidized readily to a black copper (II) oxide.

How can we test for the presence of copper ions?

All copper ions are either green or blue in colour, and they dissolve in water to form blue solution.

What can we benefit from copper?

As we all know that copper wire is used as electric wire, because it is light and it is a good conductor of electricity. Copper is widely employed in a metal work because work can be done easily on it. It is used in making of important alloy such as brass and bronze. Free gift.