Physical and chemical characteristics:
- Latin name: Cuprum (Cu);
- Chemical element of Group 1 in Mendeleev's periodic table;
- Atomic number 29;
- Atomic weight 63.546;
- A red metal (pink when fractured), soft and malleable;
- A good heat and electricity conductor (next only to silver)
- Density 8.92 g/cm³;
- Melting point 1083.4°C;
- Chemically relatively inactive.
History:
Copper was discovered in prehistoric times, and was one of the first metals that man began to use for practical purposes instead of stone. The Latin name "Cuprum" came from the name for the island of Cyprus, where, as early as the third century BC, copper was already mined and smelted. There are mines that have been found on Russian territory that are believed to be several thousand years old. In the 18th century, dozens of copper smelting works were founded in the Urals and in the Altai region. Metallurgy in the Far North began to develop in the late 19th century.
Uses:
Today almost 50 per cent of the world's copper is used in electronics and telecommunications industries. It is also used in the manufacture of heat-exchangers and pipes. More than 30 per cent of copper is smelted into alloys.
In the human body, copper plays a part in formation of many kinds of enzymes and proteins, in maintaining energetic balance, in formation of bones, haemoglobin and erythrocytes. Copper is important for maintaining a healthy nervous system and good blood circulation, bones and connective tissue. Types of copper produced by Norilsk Nickel
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