Copper

Copper is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cu (L.: Cuprum) and atomic number 29. more...

It is a ductile metal with excellent electrical conductivity, and finds extensive use as a building material, as an electrical conductor, and as a component of various alloys.

Notable characteristics

Copper is a reddish-colored metal, with a high electrical and thermal conductivity (among pure metals at room temperature, only silver has a higher electrical conductivity). Copper has its characteristic color because it reflects red and orange light and absorbs other frequencies in the visible spectrum, due to its band structure. Contrast this with the optical properties of silver, gold and aluminium.

Copper is insoluble in water (H₂O) as well as isopropanol, or isopropyl alcohol.

There are two stable isotopes, ⁶³Cu and ⁶⁵Cu, along with a couple of dozen radioisotopes. The vast majority of radioisotopes have half lives on the order of minutes or less; the longest lived, ⁶⁴Cu, has a half life of 12.7 hours, with two decay modes, leading to two separate products.

There are numerous alloys of copper—speculum metal is a copper/tin alloy, brass is a copper/zinc alloy, and bronze is a copper/tin alloy. Monel metal is a copper/nickel alloy, also called cupronickel.

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