Copper Characteristics

1. What is copper ?

 Copper is a metal with atomic number 29 and has good thermal and electrical conductivity, so it is used as a heat and electrical conductor such as boiler pipes and electric wires.

 

 It was also used as currency by making coins from Ni, Zn and alloys, and it is also used as a material for brass instruments because of its various tones depending on the alloy composition.

 

 Copper ions also have an antibacterial function that kills bacteria. Typically, there are brass bowls and brass spoons.

Microorganisms recognize copper ions as nutrients and ingest them, and the copper ions ingested destroy the cells of the microorganisms and have an antibacterial action.

 Copper minerals are mined in Chile, the United States, Peru, Austria, and China, and are less subject to geopolitical and political influences than crude oil and gold. When the world economy is good, demand increases and copper futures price rises. For this reason, copper futures price is often used as a leading indicator of the real economy.

copper ore

copper spoon

2.Thermal and Electrical Conductivity of Copper

 Materials such as gold, silver, copper, and aluminum are called metals. The characteristic of metals is that atomic bonds are composed of metal bonds, so there are various characteristics such as luster and excellent malleability and ductility in heat/electrical conduction. The thermal/electrical conductivity of gold, silver, copper, and aluminum metals is silver > copper > gold > aluminum. Silver has the best thermal/electrical conductivity, but copper is mainly used because of its high price

	Thermal conductivity	Electric conductivity	Price ($/Kg)
GOLD	76	72	55,749
SILVER	108	106	567.7
COPPER	100	100	5.2
ALUMINUM	56	62	1.2

3.Metal bond

 Materials can be broadly classified into metals, ceramics, polymers, and composite materials. Among them, metal has a metal bond, and this metal bond allows free electrons to move freely between positive and negative ions, so it has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, and is characterized by ductility (stretching thinly) and malleability (stretching like candy). have.

 

 In a metal bond, atoms are regularly arranged as shown in the figure below, and free electrons can move freely in the space between cations. At this time, if current flows, electrons move in one direction to show electrical conductivity. Metal bonds have malleable and ductile properties against external physical forces. Copper is also metal-bonded, so it has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and excellent workability.

 

Metal bond

Electrical Characteristics of metal bond

Metal Characteristics