WHAT IS COPPER?
Atomic number 29, melting towards 1084 ° C, found in nature free or in unison, conducting heat and electricity well, easily beaten and processed since ancient times. It called. The color of copper is near brown. Copper is a material that is used as a coating material due to its high electrical conductivity in the electrical and electronics sector, thermal conductivity and cooling systems. Copper has an important role in welding, metallurgy and bronze production. Copper is one of the important metals that have been used for various purposes since ancient times and is one of the main raw materials of the industry. The reason why copper plays an important role in industry and can be used in various fields is that it has many different features. Among the important features of copper are high electrical and thermal conductivity, resistance to abrasion, wire drawing and forging ability, stainless steel. In addition, copper alloys have many different applications in industry.
Types of copper found in nature
Copper is found in nature in a small quantity, usually sulfuric, oxidized and complex. Copper’s application areas Copper is widely used in industry due to its superior physical and chemical properties. Copper, a reddish metal, is found in natural environment, rocks, soil, water and air. It is used in the construction of coins, electrical wires and water pipes as it can be easily shaped and bent. Copper is also used in agriculture as fungicide (bacteria and fungicides), in algae and in warehouses, to prevent the development of algae (algae growth). Copper is also found in plants and animals’ body in nature. It is stored in the liver, especially in animals and humans (about 1.5 grams). If it is used in agriculture in large amounts, it prevents the growth of plants and makes it by replacing it with iron. It is an essential element for all known creatures. However, it is detrimental to the Health when taken at a very high dose for a long time or at a time. Copper is found in nature as an ore and is usually associated with other elements. The reason why copper carries a health risk is the use of copper in a variety of materials used in plumbing and the use of copper or copper-plated vessels for cooking in some populations. Copper or copper compounds in the air or in water are almost always connected to the dust particles; They are therefore easily held in the respiratory tract or in the digestive tract, or easily removed from the water by filtration if present in the water. Non-dusting copper or non-granular copper is the water-insoluble form and is primarily the copper that affects health. Copper has an average of 0.01% copper in the earth’s crust, and copper is ranked 25th in the ranking of the most abundant elements. As a result of liquid leakage from the magma layer to the earth’s crust, heavy metal sulfides decompose, and the most common chalcopyrite mineral, CuFeS2 (34.6% Cu), was formed primarily in this way. Chemical oxidation and reduction of natural sulphates or superficial sulphate solutions on sulfurous minerals can lead to oxidized copper minerals and metallic copper (native copper). For this reason, it is possible to reach sulphideous ores in most mineral deposits by taking the oxidized copper minerals in the upper part. Almost 85% of the known copper ores are sulfuric and 15% are oxides. It is known that about 200 minerals contain copper, 30-40 of them are more common in nature. The use of copper by humans began in ancient times. People used copper in their daily lives in ornaments, weapons and handicrafts, and in the construction of kitchen utensils, and the need for copper along with civilization increased. Today, the consumption of copper over 13 × 106 tons is the second most used metal. Per capita copper consumption per capita in developed countries is around 10 kg. This figure varies between 1-2 kg in less developed countries. Many substitutes have been introduced to replace copper. Materials such as aluminum, plastic, fiber-optics were used instead of copper, but there was no decrease in the demand for copper and a constant increase in the demand for copper was observed. Although copper reserves known in the world can meet copper demand for about 60 years, copper is the leading mineral in the exploration programs of major mining companies.