Copper was the first metal to be worked by humans and we have been making things from it for thousands of years.
Today it’s still one of our most important metals, used in virtually all electronics. It is even an essential nutrient for your body.
Here is everything you ever wanted to know about … COPPER!
FAST FACTS!
Humans have been making things from copper for at least 8,000 years. People figured out how to smelt copper by about 4500 B.C. The next technological leap was creating copper alloys; by adding tin to copper, people made a harder metal: bronze. The technological development (which occurred at different times in different regions) ushered in the Bronze Age.
The Romans gave copper its name. They called it “aes cyprium” (ore from Cyprus) because, in ancient times, most copper came from Cyprus. The word was later modified to “cuprum”, from which we have our modern day “copper”.
Copper turns green because of an oxidation reaction; that is, it loses electrons when exposed to water and air. The resulting copper oxide is a dull green.
The Mi’kmaq have a long history of using minerals and metals to make tools, including copper. Examples of other materials used by the Mi’kmaq include flint, coal, jasper and agate.
If all of the copper wiring in an average car were laid out, it would stretch 1.5 kilometres. The copper in a car weighs about 50 pounds.
People need copper in their diets. The metal is an essential trace mineral, crucial for forming red blood cells. Fortunately, most people get enough copper from foods such as grains, beans, potatoes and leafy greens.
Copper is 100% recyclable and nearly 80% of all copper that has ever been produced is still in use today. Copper can continue to be recycled without any changes to its properties.
Copper has antimicrobial properties and kills bacteria, viruses and yeasts on contact. For this reason, it is often used on things like brass doorknobs and handrails in public buildings to reduce the spread of bacteria.
A 7000 year old awl - a tool for poking holes – is the oldest metal object ever found in the Middle East. It was discovered buried with a middle-age woman in an ancient village in Israel. The copper probably came from the Caucasus region more than 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) away.
In ancient Egypt, people used copper alloys to make jewelry, weapons, armor, tools and sculptures. Pyramids also used copper for water plumbing. Egyptians had the ankh symbol to represent copper.
Canadians will use about 1500 pounds of copper during their lifetimes in products such as computers, telephones, cars and homes.
The average home contains 400 pounds of copper that is used for electrical wiring, pipes and appliances.
The Statue of Liberty is made from 179,000 pounds of copper.
A wind turbine usually contains about 7000 pounds, or three tonnes, of copper.
Because copper is used in electrical wiring, it is essential to making green technologies work. For example, a wind turbine usually contains about 7000 pounds, or three tonnes, of copper, mainly in the wiring. Also, hybrid-electric vehicles use twice as much copper wiring as non-hybrids.
Because copper reacts readily with other substances, it can be formed in a variety of ways in the Earth's crust. It is often found in deposits with other metals such as lead, zinc, gold and silver.
By far the largest amounts of copper are found in the crust in bodies known as porphyry copper deposits. These deposits were once large masses of molten rock that cooled and solidified in the Earth's crust. As they cooled, some large crystals grew, which were then surrounded by smaller crystals as cooling became more rapid - geologists call these rocks porphyries.
At first, the copper was spread throughout the large mass of molten rock in low concentrations. As the magma cooled and crystals began to form, the amount of melt became smaller. The copper remained in the melt, becoming more and more concentrated. When the rock was almost completely solid, it contracted and cracked and the remaining copper-rich fluid was squeezed into the cracks, where it too finally solidified.
Over many millions of years the rocks covering these deposits eroded away and the deposits eventually appeared at the surface.
USES & HISTORY OF COPPER
Copper is used in electrical wiring because of its high level of conductivity, its malleability and resistance to corrosion.
There are more than 570 types of copper alloys and more than 350 of them are proven to be antimicrobial. Copper’s antimicrobial properties make it very important in reducing the spread of bacteria and infections. For this reason, it is often used on things like brass doorknobs and handrails in public buildings to reduce the spread of bacteria.
Copper's antimicrobial properties have made it a popular metal in the medical field. Multiple hospitals have experimented with covering frequently-touched surfaces, such as bed rails and call buttons, with copper or copper alloys in an attempt to slow the spread of hospital-acquired infections.
Copper’s excellent conductivity makes it extremely useful in medicine. For example, copper coating on a surgeon’s scalpel conducts electricity to heat the blade, making it self-cauterising. This is especially important for controlling bleeding during operations, and for removing damaged tissue.
Copper is an essential nutrient for your body. Together with iron, it enables the body to form red blood cells. It helps maintain healthy bones, blood vessels, nerves, and immune function, and it contributes to iron absorption. Copper is in leafy greens, including turnip greens, spinach, Swiss chard and kale. Asparagus and summer squash are two other excellent vegetable sources of copper, as are whole grains, nuts, and seeds.
Copper is used in plumbing, roofing materials and industrial machinery.
Sailing ships that transported products such as tea and wool between Europe and the Far East in the 19th century were fitted with copper-plated hulls. The practice was introduced in the 18th century by Britain’s Royal Navy to minimise marine growths that would have reduced the speed of the ships. Today, copper alloys are stilled used to protect boat hulls, and also fish farms, offshore platforms, seawater pipework and desalination units.
Every year, lightning strikes buildings throughout the world. Copper has long been used to protect them via lightning conductors.
Traditionally copper has been one of the metals used to make coins, along with silver and gold. Until 1997, Canadian pennies were at least 95.5% copper. In 1997, the penny's composition changed to 98.4 per cent zinc, with the rest copper plating.
Fireworks give off different colours according to their ingredients, and copper is responsible for the blue colours. By introducing chemicals and different metals ground into tiny particles, all sorts of colours can be created. When a firework explodes, the metal particles start oxidising, which creates the heat needed to excite the metal particles so they emit coloured light.
Copper sulfate is used widely as an agricultural poison and as an algicide in water purification.
Copper compounds, such as Fehling’s solution, are used in chemical tests for sugar detection.
Nova Scotia’s Cape D’Or (Cape of Gold) was named by French explorers because its copper deposits appeared golden. (Photo credit: https://www.mindat.org/loc-224362.html)
Copper was first found in Nova Scotia in 1825 at Coxheath, Cape Breton.
Other copper deposits have also been discovered in the years since, including in Richmond, Yarmouth and Cumberland counties.
Several became active mines.
COPPER AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Copper is 100% recyclable.
Copper is a naturally-occurring element present in the earth’s crust, oceans, lakes and rivers, from minute trace element levels through to rich mine deposits. It is an essential nutrient—plants, fish, animals and humans all need copper to function properly.
Copper is a versatile material which is 100% recyclable, corrosion resistant and durable. Nearly 80% of all copper that has ever been produced is still in use today.
Copper is not carcinogenic, mutagenic or a reproductive toxicant, and under normal conditions of use, it does not cause any environmental harm in terms of being bio accumulative or toxic.
Because copper is used in electrical wiring, it is essential to making green technologies work. For example, a wind turbine usually contains about 7000 pounds, or three tonnes, of copper, mainly in the wiring. Also, hybrid-electric vehicles use twice as much copper wiring as non-hybrids.
