Copper

Copper element periodic table

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29 that belongs to the transition metals group in the periodic table. Copper is a soft, malleable metal and an excellent conductor of electricity and heat.

Although it is one of the few elements found pure in nature, most of it exists in minerals such as chalcopyrite, which is the primary source of copper. It is extracted from chalcopyrite through a process called smelting. Other copper minerals, such as malachite and azurite, are brightly colored. Copper is the only metal that has a reddish color in its pure form.

Copper has many important uses, including in the production of electrical wire and other conductors, as a component of certain alloys, and in the production of coins and other currency. Copper wire wrapped around an iron core and then electrified helps create an electromagnet. Because they can be turned on or off, electromagnets are magnetized at will. They can be much more powerful than normal magnets and lift heavy objects.

Pure copper does not oxidize, but over time it reacts with air to form a greenish-gray copper carbonate layer called cardenite. Copper is often mixed with other metals to produce stronger alloys. bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, is more durable than pure copper, and has been used since antiquity. Another alloy, brass, is made of copper and zinc, and is used in musical instruments, such as trumpets. Copper is also employed in the manufacturing of ceramics and glass.

Copper element periodic table

Electron configuration

The electron configuration of an element describes the arrangement of electrons in the atoms of that element, and be used to predict its chemical properties and reactivity.

In the electron configuration notation, the letters "s", "p", "d", and "f" represent the different types of atomic orbitals, and the superscripts indicate the number of electrons in each orbital. The orbitals are filled in a specific order, starting with the lowest energy orbital and working up.

electron configuration of element Cu

Emission spectra

Each element in the periodic table presents its own unique emission spectra, which is determined by the energy levels of its electrons. When an electron in an atom is excited to a higher energy level, it can de-excite by emitting a photon of light with an energy equal to the difference between the two levels. This results in a characteristic emission line in the spectra (which corresponds to specific wavelengths of light). These spectra are usefull to identify the elements present in a sample.

emmision spectra of element Cu

Symmary of properties (Cu)

Atomic weight 63.546(3)
Discoverer (year) unknown (1751)
Natural form metallic solid (face-centred cubic)
Electron configuration [Ar] 3d10 4s1
M.p. (ºC) 1083
B.p. (ºC) 2567
Earth's crust abundance (ppm) 60
Isotope (abundance %) 63Cu (69.15), 65Cu (30.85)
Density (g/cm3) 8.96
vdW radius (pm) 196
Covalent radius (pm) 122
Electronegativity (Pauling) 1.65
Vaporisation enthalpy (Kj/mol) 304.60
Fusion enthalpy (kJ/mol) 13.26
Specific heat capacity (J/g·K) at 25ºC and 1 at 0.39
Thermal conductivity (W/cm·K) at 25 ºC and 1 at 4.010
Oxidation number +2, +1
Electronic affinity (eV) 1.24
1st Ionization energy (eV) 7.7264

Definition of terms in the previous table

  • Atomic weight: The average mass of an element's atoms, typically given in atomic mass units (amu).
  • Natural form: The most stable and abundant form of an element that occurs naturally in the environment.
  • Electron configuration: The arrangement of electrons in an atom or molecule.
  • Melting point: The temperature at which a solid substance turns into a liquid.
  • Boiling point: The temperature at which a liquid substance turns into a gas.
  • Earth's crust abundance (ppm): The concentration of an element in the Earth's crust, typically given in parts per million (ppm).
  • Isotope (abundance %): A variant of an element that has the same number of protons in the nucleus, but a different number of neutrons. The abundance of an isotope is the percentage of the isotope in a sample of the element.
  • Density (g/cm3): The mass of a substance per unit volume.
  • vdW radius (pm): The radius of an atom or molecule as predicted by the van der Waals model, typically given in picometers (pm).
  • Covalent radius (pm): The distance from the center of an atom to the center of another atom with which it is bonded covalently, typically given in picometers (pm).
  • Electronegativity (Pauling): A measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons in a chemical bond, based on the Pauling scale.
  • Vaporisation enthalpy (kJ/mol): The amount of energy required to convert a substance from a liquid to a gas at a constant temperature.
  • Fusion enthalpy (kJ/mol): The amount of energy required to convert a substance from a solid to a liquid at a constant temperature.
  • Specific heat capacity (J/g·K) at 25ºC and 1 at: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius at a constant pressure.
  • Thermal conductivity (W/cm·K) at 25 ºC and 1 at: The ability of a substance to conduct heat, typically given in watts per centimeter per kelvin.
  • Oxidation number: A positive or negative integer that represents the number of electrons that an atom has gained or lost in a chemical compound.
  • Electronic affinity: The energy change associated with adding an electron to a neutral atom to form a negative ion.
  • 1st Ionization energy: The energy required to remove the most loosely bound electron from a neutral atom.
 

Back to the Periodic Table of the Elements.

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