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Copper Essay

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Weil 1
Copper is one of the earliest elements known to man. Because of its distinct red color, Copper is very easily identified. In the ancient times, copper could be found lying in the ground in its unattached state without interaction to other substances. Copper and its compounds have many uses in today’s society.
Copper has many chemical properties that make it unique. The Atomic number of copper is 29. An Atomic number is a measure of the amount of protons in the nucleus of an atom. Protons are sub-atomic particles, which have a positive charge. The Atomic mass of copper is 63.546. The Atomic mass is a measure of how many neutrons and protons are in an atom. Neutrons are …show more content…

Copper does not rust and when in water, it turns reddish orange. After prolonged exposure, Copper develops a coat of green film called patina. This film protects it against further exposure. Also, rolled Copper has a tensile strength from 50,000 to 70,000 pounds per square inch. Tensile strength is the maximum strength a material can stand before breaking.
Early uses of the element include jewelry, weapons, and tools. The element was first used around 9000 b.c.e. and was found in northern Iraq. Copper was first used by Native Americans around 2500 b.c.e. One of the first skills that the ancient coppersmith must have learned how to do was shape the metal, possibly by heating. This element was first used to its full potential when Coppersmiths began to use tin with copper to make an alloy called bronze. An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals with properties differs from those of the individual metal. The alloy was first discovered as early as 4000 b.c.e. Bronze was used similar to copper due to the many variety of tools, weapons, and jewelry that are created from the alloy. It differs from copper in the way that with tin added, the alloy is a better conductor and easier to shape than the metal alone. Copper was used as the primary metal of the world to around 3000 b.c.e when society discovered iron. Many copper compounds are used in today’s agricultural, medical, and pest-control jobs. Copper Acetate (Cu20 (C2H3O2) 2) is a

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