Copper, a chemical element with atomic number 29 is a trace mineral that is vital for the health of all living things (humans, plants, animals, and microorganisms). In humans and animals, it can be found in all body tissues. It plays a role in the production of red blood cells, metabolism, and the maintenance of nerve cells and the immune system. It is also a component of many enzymes. In nutrition, it is simply referred to as "Copper" or "Cu" (its symbol in the periodic table).

Copper is not synthesized in the body or in a laboratory for nutritional purposes. It is a natural element in the Earth's crust and is obtained through mining. The process of copper production from mining to a finished product has several steps:

• Mining. Copper is first extracted from the earth's crust through either open pit or underground mining.
• Crushing: The copper ore is crushed into small pieces.
• Grinding: The crushed ore is further ground to a fine powder.
• Froth Flotation: The ground ore is mixed with chemicals to selectively separate copper minerals from other minerals.
• Smelting: The copper concentrate from the froth flotation is heated to high temperatures to extract pure copper metal.
• Refining: The pure copper is further refined to remove any impurities.
• Manufacturing: The refined copper is then manufactured into various products.

What it is for and where

Medical

Copper is an essential trace element for humans and plays a crucial role in various physiological processes. It is involved in the function of many enzymes, aids in the formation of red blood cells, and helps in the maintenance of nerve cells and the immune system. Copper also has antimicrobial properties and is used in medical and dental applications.

In the pharmaceutical industry, copper is used in various forms. Copper salts, such as copper sulfate and copper gluconate, are used in supplements to prevent or treat copper deficiency. Copper is also being explored for its potential use in cancer therapy and in the treatment of other diseases.

• Molecular Formula  Cu
• Molecular Weight  63.55 g/mol
• CAS  7440-50-8
• UNII    789U1901C5
• EC Number   231-159-6
• Nikkaji   J3.733H

Atomic Mass: 63.546 unified atomic mass units

Thermodynamic Properties: Solid at standard temperature and pressure (STP), with a melting point of 1084.62 °C and a boiling point of 2562 °C.

Material Properties: It has a mass density of 8.96 g/cm^3 and a Mohs hardness of 3 (similar to calcite). It has a Young's modulus of 130 GPa and a sound speed of 3570 m/s. Its thermal expansion is 1.65×10^-5 K^(-1) and it has a high thermal conductivity of 400 W/(m K), ranking 2nd among elements.

Electromagnetic Properties: Copper is a conductor with a resistivity of 1.7×10^-8 Ω m. It is diamagnetic and has a characteristic copper color.

Reactivity: It has a valence of 2, an electronegativity of 1.9, an electron affinity of 1.227 eV, and a first ionization energy of 7.727 eV.

Atomic Properties: Its term symbol is ²S_(1/2) and it has an atomic radius of 135 pm.

Abundances: It makes up 6×10^-6 mass% of the universe, 0.0068 mass% of the Earth's crust, and 1×10^-4 mass% of the human body.

Nuclear Properties: Copper is stable with two stable isotopes, copper-63 (69.17%) and copper-65 (30.83%).