Essay about Copper

Originally, heating and shaping copper could create coins, alongside with gold and silver. Being the most common of three, copper is the least valued. Today, the most common use of copper, is to make the wires and other electrical

In this experiment an elemental copper was cycled a series of five reactions where it ended with pure elemental copper as well, but at different stages of the cycle the copper was in different forms. In the first reaction, elemental copper was reacted with concentrated nitric acid where copper changed the form from solid to aqueous. Second reaction then converted the aqueous Cu2+ into the solid copper II hydroxide (Cu(OH)2) through reaction with sodium hydroxide. The third reaction takes advantage of the fact that Cu(OH)2 is thermally unstable. When heated, Cu(OH)2 decomposes (breaks down into smaller substances) into copper II oxide and water. When the solid CuO is reacted with sulfuric acid, the copper is returned to solution as an ion (Cu2+). The cycle of reactions is completed with the

Mining life for the men was long days and tough work conditions that were often dangerous. In some towns the women also worked the mines but normally they were in charge of taking care of the homes.

Anthracite coal mining consisted of differing levels of skill and precision that could be lucrative depending upon the miner’s luck. A coal miner would be lucky to find steady employment, or to even survive to the day’s end. The procedures involved in preparing the coal from the mines to the shipping was filled with dangers that led the “industry” as “one of the world’s most hazardous.” Mine owners to maintain “overhead costs” and keep mine workers in the industry, would tactfully engage in underemployment. This left workers in state of constant need for more work, or higher wages to offset working part-time. These Anthracite miners were largely paid more than the average miner, but

Mining for gold was extremely dangerous. For one thing, the mines could collapse on them. They could also run out of air. Or they could get hurt and not be able to get out. It was also easy to not eat enough

In his book “Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free,” Hector Tobar recounts the story of 33 miners who spent 69 days trapped more than 2000 feet underground in the Chile’s San Jose mines following the collapse of the mine in 2010. According to Tobar (2015), the disaster began on a day shift around noon when miners working deep inside the mountain excavating minerals started feeling vibrations. A sudden massive explosion then followed and the passageways of the mines filled with dust clouds. Upon settling of the dust, the men discovered that the source of the explosion was a single stone that had broken off from the rest of the mountain and caused a chain reaction leading to

|1. Copper metal (penny) at the start |Tarnished, worn out, brownish, copper-colored, fine solid. |

Along with the dangerous gas that filled up the mines, many other dangers lingered. Maheu and his gang worked "up in hell" (48) in the sixth where The galleries, spaced one above the other at fifteen-metre intervals, seemed to go on forever, and the climb up this narrow fissure was scraping the skin off his back and chest. He was gasping for breath as though the rocks were crushing his limbs beneath their weight, he felt as though his hands were being torn off and his legs were black and blue, while the lack of air made his blood ready to bust through his skin. (48-49)

Copper has been in use by humans for tens of thousands of years. It is a pure substance that can be dated all the way back to the Roman Empire. Copper got its name from Cyprus of the Romans and was called Cyrium. It is extracted from ores by roasting the sulfate ore then leaching out the copper sulfate that was formed with water. Copper is known for its ductility and malleability. It is also one of the most electrically conductive metal elements. Copper is not as strong as steel so therefore it is very easy to bend. Copper is used for making wires and other useful materials.

Copper is a valuable metal that has been used throughout history for many different purposes. Copper has been mined for over 2,000 years. Historical records show the Chinese recovered copper from blue vitriol by placing iron into the vitriol solution as early as 150 BC. Copper is also a trace element that is needed to maintain many biological life forms and processes.

Copper is an essential mineral for all of life, but it also has the ability to kill. Copper and 354 of its alloys are the only metals officially registered with the US EPA as being antimicrobial and antibacterial. This killing capability is called an “oligodynamic effect” which was discovered in 1893. Copper metal ions have a toxic effect on living cells such as algae, molds, spores, fungi and microorganisms. It is far more poisonous to bacteria than other materials, such as stainless-steel, aluminum or plastic.

Copper is an important material in the electrical industry. In the electrical industry, copper is used as the electrical conductor in wires. It is the most used conductor for wiring because it is the most conductive non-precious metal. Copper is used in most wires for any different types of wiring. Copper mining is a threat to the environment and humans. Copper is dug from mines that are located in Chile, Mexico, and the United States (Reference.com/science). These countries have the largest copper mines in the world. The mining and refining process for copper produces harmful chemicals such as sulfuric acid and sulphur dioxide (Sara Dudgeon, Copper Mining from the Ground Up, 2009). Sulfuric acid and sulphur dioxide are very damaging to the

In ‘The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter’, a poisonous gas is used to attempt to kill two men, Mr Melas and Paul Kratides. Mr Melas had fortunately lived but was weakened very much. Charcoal, a black residue which consists of carbon monoxide and remaining ash was used to burn to produce the toxic gas carbon monoxide. Carbon Monoxide is difficult to detect if you are in a large room until there’s a great quantity. It is tasteless, odourless, colourless and is highly toxic to humans at high concentrations.

Mining is a relatively temporary activity due to the limited operating lives of the mining sites, which are determined by the size and quality of the ore deposit being mined.

Copper is necessary and beneficial in the human body, but only in very small quantities. In larger amounts, it becomes toxic or potentially lethal.