Copper (Cu)
"The Conductor, the ancient hero who ushers in new ages of technology and conducts the power of the world."
A memorable persona to anchor Cu in your mind.
8.96
Grams per cm³
1084.62
Celsius (°C)
140
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Copper is found in the electrical wiring in your home�s walls.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
Ancient
Discovered By
Unknown
Origin of Name
"The name is derived from the Old English name 'coper' in turn derived from the Latin 'Cyprium aes', meaning a metal from Cyprus"
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
63.546 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
2560°C
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 3d104s1
1st Ionization Energy
7.726 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Copper is a soft, malleable, reddish-brown metal."
Did You Know?
It was one of the first metals ever used by humans, starting more than 10,000 years ago, ushering in the Copper Age and later the Bronze Age.
The Statue of Liberty is covered in over 179,000 pounds of copper, which has turned its characteristic green color due to oxidation.
Copper has natural antimicrobial properties, meaning it can kill bacteria and viruses on contact.
The blood of some invertebrates, like horseshoe crabs and octopuses, is blue because it uses a copper-based molecule called hemocyanin to transport oxygen, instead of iron-based hemoglobin.