When was copper first used? History of the discovery of copper Who and when was copper obtained?

Historical information about copper, chemical and physical properties; application in medicine and in the national economy. Copper is the first metal that was first used by humans several millennia BC; soft metal, element group 11.

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1. Historical background on copper

2. Physical properties of copper. Application in medicine and in the national economy

3. Chemical properties of copper

Bibliography

1. Historical background on copper

Copper is the first metal that people first began to use in ancient times several thousand years BC. The first copper tools were made from native copper, which is quite common. The largest copper nugget was found in the United States; it weighed 420 tons.

But due to the fact that copper is a soft metal, copper in ancient times could not replace stone tools. Only when man learned to smelt copper and invented bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) did metal replace stone. The widespread use of copper began in the 4th millennium BC. e.

COPPER is an element of group 11 of the Periodic Table, density 8.9 g cm -3, one of the first metals known to man. It is believed that copper began to be used around 5000 BC. Copper is rarely found in nature as a metal. The first metal tools were made from copper nuggets, possibly with the help of stone axes. The Indians who lived on its shores of the lake. Upper (North America), where there is very pure native copper, methods of cold processing were known before the time of Columbus.

Around 3500 BC In the Middle East, they learned to extract copper from ores; it was obtained by reducing coal. There were copper mines in Ancient Egypt. It is known that the blocks for the famous Cheops pyramid were processed with a copper tool.

By 3000 BC In India, Mesopotamia and Greece, tin was added to copper to smelt harder bronze. The discovery of bronze may have happened by accident, but its advantages over pure copper quickly brought this alloy to first place. This is how the “Bronze Age” began.

The Assyrians, Egyptians, Hindus and other peoples of antiquity had bronze products. However, ancient craftsmen learned to cast solid bronze statues no earlier than the 5th century. BC. Around 290 BC Chares created the Colossus of Rhodes in honor of the sun god Helios. It was 32 m high and stood above the entrance to the inner harbor of the ancient port of the island of Rhodes in the eastern Aegean Sea. The giant bronze statue was destroyed by an earthquake in 223 AD.

The ancestors of the ancient Slavs, who lived in the Don basin and the Dnieper region, used copper to make weapons, jewelry and household items. The Russian word “copper,” according to some researchers, comes from the word “mida,” which among the ancient tribes that inhabited Eastern Europe meant metal in general.

The symbol Cu comes from the Latin aes cyproum (later, Cuprum), since Cyprus was the site of the copper mines of the ancient Romans.

The relative content of copper in the earth's crust is 6.8/10 -3%. Native copper is very rare. Typically the element is found in the form of sulfide, oxide or carbonate. The most important copper ores are chalcopyrite CuFeS 2, which is estimated to constitute about 50% of all deposits of this element, copper luster (chalcocite) Cu 2 S, cuprite Cu 2 O and malachite Cu 2 CO 3 (OH) 2. Large deposits of copper ores have been found in various parts of North and South America, in Africa and in our country. In the 18th-19th centuries. Near Lake Onega, native copper was mined and sent to the mint in St. Petersburg. The discovery of industrial copper deposits in the Urals and Siberia is associated with the name of Nikita Demidov. It was he who, by decree of Peter I, began minting copper money in 1704.

2. Physical properties of copper. Use in medicine and folk art O farming

Copper is a heavy pink-red metal, soft and malleable, its melting point is 1083 ° C, it is an excellent conductor of electric current and heat; the electrical conductivity of copper is 1.7 times higher than aluminum and 6 times higher than iron.

Copper is a ductile, pinkish-red metal with a metallic sheen; thin films of copper have a greenish-blue color when examined through translucency. Crystallizes in a face-centered cubic lattice with a metallic type of chemical bond. It has high thermal and electrical conductivity; its electrical conductivity is second only to silver. Melting point 1083°C, boiling point 2567°C, density 8.92 g/cm 3 .

In air, copper is covered with a dense green-gray film of basic carbonate, which protects it from further oxidation.

In everyday life, we always have to deal with copper and its alloys: we turn on a computer or a table lamp - current flows through copper wires, we use metal money, which, both yellow and white, are made from copper alloys. Some houses are decorated with bronze items, and dishes are made from copper. Meanwhile, copper is far from the most common element in nature: the copper content in the earth's crust is 0.01%, which allows it to occupy only 23rd place among all elements.

The main use of metal is as a conductor of electric current. In addition, copper is used in coin alloys, which is why it is often called a "coin metal". It is also found in traditional bronzes (alloys of copper with 7-10% tin) and brass (alloys of copper and zinc) and specialty alloys such as Monel (alloys of nickel and copper). Metalworking tools made of copper alloys do not spark and can be used in explosive workshops. Copper-based alloys are used to make wind instruments and bells.

The healing properties of copper have been known for a very long time. The ancients believed that the healing effect of copper was associated with its analgesic, antipyretic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Avicenna and Galen also described copper as a medicine, and Aristotle, pointing to the general strengthening effect of copper on the body, preferred to fall asleep with a copper ball in his hand. Queen Cleopatra wore the finest copper bracelets, preferring them to gold and silver, knowing medicine and alchemy well. In copper armor, ancient warriors were less tired, and their wounds festered less and healed faster. The ability of copper to positively influence “male strength” was noticed and widely used in the Ancient world.

Nomadic peoples used copper utensils in everyday life, which protected them from infectious diseases, and the gypsies wore a copper hoop on their heads for the same purposes. Historical fact: the epidemic of cholera and plague bypassed people working with copper or living near copper mines. It is no coincidence that door handles in hospitals used to be made of copper in order to prevent the transmission of infection from infectious patients to healthy people.

A very important area of application of copper is the production of copper alloys. With many metals, copper forms so-called solid solutions, which are similar to ordinary solutions in that in them the atoms of one component (metal) are evenly distributed among the atoms of another (Fig. 34). Most copper alloys are solid solutions.

A copper alloy known since ancient times - bronze - contains 4-30% tin (usually 8-10%). It is interesting that bronze is superior in its hardness to pure copper and tin taken separately. Bronze is more fusible than copper. Bronze products from masters of Ancient Egypt, Greece, and China have survived to this day. In the Middle Ages, tools and many other products were cast from bronze. The famous Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell in the Moscow Kremlin are also cast from an alloy of copper and tin.

3. Chemical properties of copper

In the form of a simple substance, copper has a characteristic reddish color. Copper metal is soft and ductile. In terms of electrical and thermal conductivity, copper is second only to silver. Metallic copper, like silver, has antibacterial properties.

Copper is stable in clean, dry air at room temperature, but forms oxides at red-hot temperatures. It also reacts with sulfur and halogens. In an atmosphere containing sulfur compounds, copper becomes covered with a green film of basic sulfate. In the electrochemical voltage series, copper is located to the right of hydrogen, so it practically does not interact with non-oxidizing acids. The metal dissolves in hot concentrated sulfuric acid, as well as in dilute and concentrated nitric acid. In addition, copper can be dissolved by the action of aqueous solutions of cyanide or ammonia:

2Cu + 8NH 3 ЇH 2 O + O 2 = 2(OH) 2 + 6H 2 O

According to the position of copper in the Periodic Table, its only stable oxidation state should be (+I), but this is not the case. Copper is capable of accepting higher oxidation states, and the most stable, especially in aqueous solutions, is the oxidation state (+II). Copper(III) may be involved in biochemical electron transfer reactions. This oxidation state is rare and is very easily reduced by even weak reducing agents. Several copper(+IV) compounds are known.

When a metal is heated in air or oxygen, copper oxides are formed: yellow or red Cu 2 O and black CuO. An increase in temperature promotes the formation of predominantly copper(I) oxide Cu 2 O. In the laboratory, this oxide can be conveniently obtained by reducing an alkaline solution of copper(II) salt with glucose, hydrazine or hydroxylamine:

2CuSO 4 + 2NH 2 OH + 4NaOH = Cu 2 O + N 2 + 2Na 2 SO 4 + 5H 2 O

This reaction is the basis of Fehling's sensitive test for sugars and other reducing agents. A solution of copper(II) salt in an alkaline solution is added to the test substance. If the substance is a reducing agent, a characteristic red precipitate appears.

Since the Cu + cation is unstable in an aqueous solution, when Cu 2 O is exposed to acids, either dismutation or complexation occurs:

Cu 2 O + H 2 SO 4 = Cu + CuSO 4 + H 2 O

Cu 2 O + 4HCl = 2 H + H 2 O

Cu 2 O oxide noticeably interacts with alkalis. This creates a complex:

Cu 2 O + 2NaOH + H 2 O 2Na

To obtain copper(II) oxide CuO, it is best to use the decomposition of nitrate or basic copper(II) carbonate:

2Cu(NO 3) 2 = 2CuO + 4NO 2 + O 2

(CuOH) 2 CO 3 = 2CuO + CO 2 + H 2 O

Copper oxides are insoluble in water and do not react with it. The only copper hydroxide, Cu(OH) 2, is usually prepared by adding an alkali to an aqueous solution of copper(II) salt. A pale blue precipitate of copper(II) hydroxide, which exhibits amphoteric properties (the ability of chemical compounds to exhibit either basic or acidic properties), can be dissolved not only in acids, but also in concentrated alkalis. In this case, dark blue solutions containing particles of type 2- are formed. Copper(II) hydroxide also dissolves in ammonia solution:

Cu(OH) 2 + 4NH 3 . H 2 O = (OH) 2 + 4H 2 O

Copper(II) hydroxide is thermally unstable and decomposes when heated:

Cu(OH) 2 = CuO + H 2 O

There is information about the existence of dark red oxide Cu 2 O 3, formed by the action of K 2 S 2 O 8 on Cu(OH) 2. It is a strong oxidizing agent; when heated to 400° C, it decomposes into CuO and O 2.

Great interest in the chemistry of copper oxides in the last two decades has been associated with the production of high-temperature superconductors, of which YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 is the best known. In 1987 it was shown that at liquid nitrogen temperature this compound is a superconductor. The main problems preventing its large-scale practical application lie in the field of material processing. Nowadays, the production of thin films is considered the most promising.

Many of the copper chalcogenides are non-stoichiometric compounds. Copper(I) sulfide Cu 2 S is formed when copper is strongly heated in sulfur vapor or in hydrogen sulfide. When hydrogen sulfide is passed through aqueous solutions containing Cu 2+ cations, a colloidal precipitate of CuS composition is released. However, CuS is not a simple copper(II) compound. It contains the S 2 group and is better described by the formula Cu I 2 Cu II (S 2)S. Copper selenides and tellurides exhibit metallic properties, and CuSe 2, CuTe 2, CuS and CuS 2 are superconductors at low temperatures.

By heating copper with halogens, anhydrous difluoride, dichloride and dibromide can be synthesized. It is more convenient to obtain solutions of copper(II) halides by reacting the metal, its oxide, hydroxide or carbonate with the corresponding hydrohalic acid. Crystal hydrates are always released from aqueous solutions.

Attempts to obtain copper(II) iodide lead to the formation of copper(I) iodide CuI:

2Cu 2+ + 4I - = 2CuI + I 2

In this case, the solution and precipitate turn brown due to the presence of iodine. The resulting iodine can be removed by the action of thiosulfate ion:

I 2 + 2SO 3 S 2- = 2I - + S 4 O 6 2-

However, when adding excess thiosulfate ion, copper(I) iodide dissolves:

CuI + 2SO 3 S 2- = 3- + I -

Similarly, attempts to produce copper(II) cyanide result in the formation of CuCN. On the other hand, with electronegative fluorine it is not possible to obtain a copper(I) salt. Three other copper(I) halides, which are white insoluble compounds, precipitate from aqueous solutions upon reduction of copper(II) halides.

In aqueous solutions, the colorless copper(I) ion is very unstable and disproportionate

2Cu I Cu II + Cu(p)

Perhaps the reason for this is the size of the atom. The Cu II ion is smaller than Cu I, and, having twice the charge, interacts much more strongly with water (heats of hydration are ~2100 and ~580 kJ mol -1, respectively). The difference is significant because it outweighs the second ionization energy for copper. This makes the Cu II ion more stable in aqueous solution (and ionic solids) than Cu I, despite the latter's stable d 10 configuration. However, CuI can be stabilized in compounds with very low solubility or through complexation. Complexes are easily formed in aqueous solution upon interaction of Cu 2 O with the corresponding ligands. In aqueous solutions, chloro- and ammine complexes of copper(I) are slowly oxidized by atmospheric oxygen to the corresponding copper(II) compounds.

The copper(II) cation, on the contrary, is quite stable in aqueous solution. Copper(II) salts are mainly soluble in water. The blue color of their solutions is associated with the formation of the 2+ ion. They often crystallize as hydrates. Aqueous solutions are slightly susceptible to hydrolysis and basic salts often precipitate from them. The main carbonate exists in nature - this is the mineral malachite, the main sulfates and chlorides are formed during atmospheric corrosion of copper, and the main acetate (verdigris) is used as a pigment.

The verdigris has been known since the time of Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD). Russian pharmacies began receiving it at the beginning of the 17th century. Depending on the method of production, it may be green or blue. The walls of the royal chambers in Kolomenskoye in Moscow were painted with it.

The most famous simple salt - copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate CuSO 4 Ї5H 2 O - is often called copper sulfate. The word vitriol apparently comes from the Latin Cipri Rosa - rose of Cyprus. In Russia, copper sulfate was called blue, Cypriot, then Turkish. The fact that vitriol contains copper was first established in 1644 by Van Helmont. In 1848, R. Glauber first obtained copper sulfate from copper and sulfuric acid. Copper sulfate is widely used in electrolytic processes, water purification, and plant protection. It is the starting material for the production of many other copper compounds.

Tetraammines are easily formed by adding ammonia to aqueous solutions of copper(II) until the initial precipitate is completely dissolved. Dark blue solutions of copper tetraammines dissolve cellulose, which can be re-precipitated by acidification, which is used in one of the processes to obtain viscose. Adding ethanol to the solution causes the precipitation of SO 4 ЇH 2 O. Recrystallization of tetraammines from a concentrated ammonia solution leads to the formation of violet-blue pentaammines, but the fifth molecule of NH 3 is easily lost. Hexaammines can only be prepared in liquid ammonia and are stored in an ammonia atmosphere.

Copper(II) forms a square-planar complex with the macrocyclic ligand phthalocyanine. Its derivatives are used to produce a range of blue to green pigments that are stable up to 500°C and are widely used in inks, paints, plastics and even colored cements.

Bibliography

1. Azimov A. A brief history of chemistry. St. Petersburg, Amphora, 2002

2. Vanyukov A.V., Utkin M.I. Complex processing of copper and nickel raw materials. Chelyabinsk, 1988

3. Copper smelting production - development and prospects. Alma-Ata, 1978

4. Stepin B.D., Alikberova L.Yu. A book on chemistry for home reading. M., Chemistry, 1994

5. Chemistry and Life (Solter chemistry). Part 1. Chemistry concepts. M.: publishing house of Russian Chemical Technical University named after. D.I.Mendeleeva, 1997

Copper sulfides are formed mainly in medium-temperature hydrothermal veins. Copper deposits are also often found in sedimentary rocks - cuprous sandstones and shales. Most copper ore is mined by open pit mining. The copper content in the ore ranges from 0.4 to 1.0%.

2.Physical properties

Copper is a golden-pink ductile metal; in air it quickly becomes covered with an oxide film, which gives it a characteristic intense yellowish-red hue. Thin films of copper have a greenish-blue color when exposed to light.

Along with, And , copper is one of four metals that have a distinct color color that is different from the gray or silver of other metals. This color tint is explained by the presence of electronic transitions between the filled third and half-empty fourth atomic orbitals: the energy difference between them corresponds to the wavelength of orange light. The same mechanism is responsible for the characteristic color of gold.

Copper forms, F m3m, a= 0.36150 nm, Z = 4.

Copper has a high And (ranks second in electrical conductivity among metals after ). Electrical conductivity at 20 °C: 55.5-58/m . Copper has a relatively large : 0.4%/°C and over a wide temperature range is slightly dependent on temperature.

There is a series of copper: - s, - s and other elements,- With , - with lead and others.

COPPER CRYSTALS

3.Obtaining copper

Copper is obtained from copper ores and minerals. The main methods for obtaining copper are, and.

The pyrometallurgical method is to obtain copper from sulfide ores (for example ):

The hydrometallurgical method involves dissolving copper minerals in dilute sulfuric acid or solution; From the resulting solutions, copper is replaced by metallic iron:

Solution:

Native copper

4.Copper connection

Oxidation state II is the most stable oxidation state of copper. It corresponds to black oxide CuO and blue hydroxide Cu(OH) 2 , which, when standing, easily splits off water and turns black:

Copper (II) hydroxide is predominantly basic in nature and only partially dissolves in concentrated alkali to form a blue hydroxo complex. Of greatest importance is the reaction of copper (II) hydroxide with, which produces the so-called (solvent):

Copper(II) salts are formed when copper is dissolved in oxidizing acids (nitric, concentrated sulfuric). Most salts in this oxidation state are blue or green in color.

Copper(II) compounds have weak oxidizing properties, which is used in analysis (for example, the use of Fehling's reagent).

It has a green color, which is the reason for the greening of elements of buildings, monuments and products made of copper and copper alloys when the oxide film interacts with air in the presence of water. gives blue CuSO when hydrated 4 ∙5H 2 O, used as .

Copper(II) oxide is used to produce copper oxide (YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ ), which is the basis for obtaining .

COPPER SULATE

5.Extraction methods

This metal is found in nature in native form more often than, and. An alloy of copper and tin () was obtained for the first time in 3000 BC. e. in the Middle East. Bronze attracted people because of its strength and good malleability, which made it suitable for making labor and hunting tools, dishes, and jewelry. All these items are found in archaeological excavations.

Initially, copper was mined from ore, and not from, since it does not require pre-roasting. To do this, the ore mixture was placed in a clay vessel, the vessel was placed in a small pit, and the mixture was set on fire. The released one reduced malachite to free copper:

Copper mines appeared on the territory of Russia and neighboring countries two millennia BC. e. Their remains are found in the Urals (the most famous deposit is), in Transcaucasia, Ukraine, Siberia, and Altai.

In the XIII-XIV centuries. mastered industrial copper smelting. In Moscow in the 15th century. was founded where guns of various calibers were cast in bronze.

More than 170 minerals containing copper are now known, but only 14-15 of them are of industrial importance. This is chalcopyrite (also known as copper pyrite), malachite, and native copper is also found. Copper ores often contain molybdenum, nickel, lead, cobalt as impurities, and less often gold and silver. Typically, copper ores are beneficiated in factories before being sent to copper smelters. Kazakhstan, USA, Chile, Canada, African countries - Zaire, Zambia, South Africa are rich in copper.

The world's largest open-pit mine for copper ore. Is located in .

6. Information support for training

Main sources:

Solntsev, Yu.P. Materials Science [Text]: textbook for institutional secondary professional education. / Yu.P.Solntsev, S.A.Vologzhanina. – Moscow: IC “Academy”, 2009. – 496s. – [Recommended by Federal State Institution “FIRO”].

Stukanov, V.A. Materials Science [Text]: textbook for professional educational institutions. / V.A.Stukanov. – M.: Forum, 2011. – 368s. – [Recommended by Federal State Institution “FIRO”].

Additional sources:

Kuzmin B.A. Technology of metals and structural materials [Text]: textbook for mechanical engineering colleges. - M. Mechanical Engineering, 2008 -251 p.

Materials Science [Electronic resource]: Part 1. - Izhevsk: Research Center “Regular and Chaotic Dynamics”, 2006. - 1 CD-ROM, 12 cm.

Moryakov, O.S. Materials science (in technical specialties) [Text]: textbook for images. establishment avg. prof. image. / O.S. Moryakov. – Moscow: Publishing Center “Academy”, 2010. – 240 p. – [Recommended by Federal State Institution “FIRO”]

Nikiforov, V.M. Technology of metals and other structural materials [Text]:textbook for students technical schools, lyceums, students. universities, engineers and technicians of all technical specialties. – V.M. Nikiforov. – 10th edition, - St. Petersburg,: Politekhnika, 2010. - 382 s.

Fuel and energy complex in the regions of the Siberian Federal District [Electronic resource]: statistical collection / Rosstat, Territor. Federal organ government services statistics for Irkut. region – Irkutsk: Irkutskstat, 2006. – 1 CD-ROM, 12 cm.

Internet resources

All-Russian Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of the Russian Academy of Sciences (VINITI RAS) [Electronic resource]. – Access mode: http://www2. viniti. ru, free. -Cap. from the screen

Portal of regulatory and technical documentationhttp // www . pntdoc . ru

Technical literature[Electronic resource]. - Access mode:http // www . tehlit . ru , free. - Cap. from the screen

Electronic library system "KnigaFond"http://www.knigafund.ru/, subscription. -Cap. from the screen

Electronic library system of the Lan publishing house[Electronic resource] . - Access mode:http://lanbook.com/ebs.php, subscription. -Cap. from the screen

Electronic library systemIGlib [ Electronic resource] . - Access mode:http://www.iqlib.ru/, subscription. -Cap. from the screen

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Copper is one of the first metals widely mastered by man due to its comparative availability from ore and low melting point. In ancient times, it was used mainly in the form of an alloy with tin - bronze for the manufacture of weapons, etc. The first copper was obtained in the territory of modern Turkey by residents of the settlement of Catal Huyuk.
Gold. Humanity encountered gold already in the 5th millennium BC. e. in the Neolithic era due to its distribution in a native state. According to archaeologists, systematic mining began in the Middle East, from where gold jewelry was supplied, in particular, to Egypt. It was in Egypt, in the tomb of Queen Zer and one of the queens Pu-abi Ur in the Sumerian civilization, that the first gold jewelry dating back to the 3rd millennium BC was found. e. In Russia, it is generally accepted that gold mining began on May 21 (June 1), 1745, when Erofey Markov, who found gold in the Urals, announced his discovery in the Office of the Main Board of the factories in Yekaterinburg.
Aluminum Aluminum was first obtained by the Danish physicist Hans Oersted in 1825 by the action of potassium amalgam on aluminum chloride followed by distillation of mercury. It is widely used as a structural material. The main advantages of aluminum in this quality are lightness, malleability for stamping, corrosion resistance (in air, aluminum is instantly covered with a durable Al2O3 film, which prevents its further oxidation), high thermal conductivity, and non-toxicity of its compounds. In particular, these properties have made aluminum extremely popular in the production of cookware, aluminum foil in the food industry and for packaging.
Iron. Iron is one of the most used metals, accounting for up to 95% of world metallurgical production. Iron is the main component of steels and cast irons - the most important structural materials. Iron can be part of alloys based on other metals - for example, nickel. Magnetic iron oxide (magnetite ) is an important material in the production of long-term computer memory devices: hard drives, floppy disks, etc. Ultrafine magnetite powder is used in many black and white laser printers mixed with polymer granules as a toner. Here, the black color of magnetite and its ability to adhere to a magnetized transfer roller are simultaneously used. The unique ferromagnetic properties of a number of iron-based alloys contribute to their widespread use in electrical engineering for magnetic cores of transformers and electric motors. Iron(III) chloride (ferric chloride) is used in amateur radio practice for etching printed circuit boards. Ferrous sulfate seven-hydrate (ferrous sulfate) mixed with copper sulfate is used to combat harmful fungi in gardening and construction. Iron is used as an anode in iron-nickel batteries, iron-air batteries. Aqueous solutions of ferrous and ferric chlorides, as well as its sulfates are used as coagulants in the purification processes of natural and waste water in the water treatment of industrial enterprises.

Copper is one of the first metals widely developed by man due to its comparative availability from ore and low melting point. In ancient times it was used mainly in the form of an alloy with tin - bronze for the manufacture of weapons, etc. The first copper was obtained on the territory of modern Turkey by residents of the settlement of Catalhöyük. Gold Humanity encountered gold already in the 5th millennium BC. the Neolithic era due to its distribution in a native state. According to archaeologists, systematic mining began in the Middle East, from where gold jewelry was supplied, in particular, to Egypt. It was in Egypt, in the tomb of Queen Zer and one of the queens Pu-abi Ur in the Sumerian civilization, that the first gold jewelry was found, dating back to the 3rd millennium BC. in Russia it is considered to be the beginning of gold mining on May 21 (June 1), 1745, when Erofey Markov, who found gold in the Urals, announced his discovery in the Office of the Main Board of the plants in Yekaterinburg. Aluminum. Aluminum was first obtained by the Danish physicist Hans Oersted in 1825 by the action of potassium amalgam on aluminum chloride, followed by distillation of mercury. Widely used as a construction material. The main advantages of aluminum in this quality are lightness, malleability for stamping, corrosion resistance (in air, aluminum is instantly covered with a durable Al2O3 film, which prevents its further oxidation), high thermal conductivity, and the non-toxicity of its compounds. In particular, these properties have made aluminum extremely popular in the production of cookware, aluminum foil in the food industry and for packaging. IronIron is one of the most used metals, accounting for up to 95% of global metallurgical production. Iron is the main component of steels and cast irons - the most important structural materials. Iron can be included in alloys based on other metals - for example, nickel. Magnetic iron oxide (magnetite) is an important material in the production of long-term computer memory devices: hard drives, floppy disks, etc. Ultrafine magnetite powder is used in many black and white laser printers mixed with polymer granules as a toner. This simultaneously utilizes the black color of the magnetite and its ability to adhere to the magnetized transfer roller. The unique ferromagnetic properties of a number of iron-based alloys contribute to their widespread use in electrical engineering for magnetic cores of transformers and electric motors. Iron (III) chloride (iron chloride) is used in amateur radio practice for etching printed circuit boards. Ferrous sulfate hepthydrate (iron sulfate) mixed with copper sulfate is used to combat harmful fungi in gardening and construction. Iron is used as an anode in iron-nickel batteries and iron-air batteries. Aqueous solutions of divalent and ferric iron chlorides, as well as its sulfates, are used as coagulants in the purification processes of natural and waste water and water treatment of industrial enterprises.

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When was copper first used? History of the discovery of copper Who and when was copper obtained?

Historical information about copper, chemical and physical properties; application in medicine and in the national economy. Copper is the first metal that was first used by humans several millennia BC; soft metal, element group 11.

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

1. Historical background on copper

Copper is the first metal that people first began to use in ancient times several thousand years BC. The first copper tools were made from native copper, which is quite common. The largest copper nugget was found in the United States; it weighed 420 tons.

But due to the fact that copper is a soft metal, copper in ancient times could not replace stone tools. Only when man learned to smelt copper and invented bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) did metal replace stone. The widespread use of copper began in the 4th millennium BC. e.

Around 3500 BC In the Middle East, they learned to extract copper from ores; it was obtained by reducing coal. There were copper mines in Ancient Egypt. It is known that the blocks for the famous Cheops pyramid were processed with a copper tool.

By 3000 BC In India, Mesopotamia and Greece, tin was added to copper to smelt harder bronze. The discovery of bronze may have happened by accident, but its advantages over pure copper quickly brought this alloy to first place. This is how the “Bronze Age” began.

2. Physical properties of copper. Use in medicine and folk art O farming

Copper is a heavy pink-red metal, soft and malleable, its melting point is 1083 ° C, it is an excellent conductor of electric current and heat; the electrical conductivity of copper is 1.7 times higher than aluminum and 6 times higher than iron.

3. Chemical properties of copper

In the form of a simple substance, copper has a characteristic reddish color. Copper metal is soft and ductile. In terms of electrical and thermal conductivity, copper is second only to silver. Metallic copper, like silver, has antibacterial properties.

2Cu + 8NH 3 ЇH 2 O + O 2 = 2(OH) 2 + 6H 2 O

2CuSO 4 + 2NH 2 OH + 4NaOH = Cu 2 O + N 2 + 2Na 2 SO 4 + 5H 2 O

This reaction is the basis of Fehling's sensitive test for sugars and other reducing agents. A solution of copper(II) salt in an alkaline solution is added to the test substance. If the substance is a reducing agent, a characteristic red precipitate appears.

Since the Cu + cation is unstable in an aqueous solution, when Cu 2 O is exposed to acids, either dismutation or complexation occurs:

Cu 2 O + H 2 SO 4 = Cu + CuSO 4 + H 2 O

Cu 2 O + 4HCl = 2 H + H 2 O

Cu 2 O oxide noticeably interacts with alkalis. This creates a complex:

Cu 2 O + 2NaOH + H 2 O 2Na

To obtain copper(II) oxide CuO, it is best to use the decomposition of nitrate or basic copper(II) carbonate:

2Cu(NO 3) 2 = 2CuO + 4NO 2 + O 2

(CuOH) 2 CO 3 = 2CuO + CO 2 + H 2 O

Cu(OH) 2 + 4NH 3 . H 2 O = (OH) 2 + 4H 2 O

Copper(II) hydroxide is thermally unstable and decomposes when heated:

Cu(OH) 2 = CuO + H 2 O

There is information about the existence of dark red oxide Cu 2 O 3, formed by the action of K 2 S 2 O 8 on Cu(OH) 2. It is a strong oxidizing agent; when heated to 400° C, it decomposes into CuO and O 2.

Attempts to obtain copper(II) iodide lead to the formation of copper(I) iodide CuI:

2Cu 2+ + 4I - = 2CuI + I 2

In this case, the solution and precipitate turn brown due to the presence of iodine. The resulting iodine can be removed by the action of thiosulfate ion:

I 2 + 2SO 3 S 2- = 2I - + S 4 O 6 2-

However, when adding excess thiosulfate ion, copper(I) iodide dissolves:

CuI + 2SO 3 S 2- = 3- + I -

In aqueous solutions, the colorless copper(I) ion is very unstable and disproportionate

2Cu I Cu II + Cu(p)

The verdigris has been known since the time of Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD). Russian pharmacies began receiving it at the beginning of the 17th century. Depending on the method of production, it may be green or blue. The walls of the royal chambers in Kolomenskoye in Moscow were painted with it.

Copper(II) forms a square-planar complex with the macrocyclic ligand phthalocyanine. Its derivatives are used to produce a range of blue to green pigments that are stable up to 500°C and are widely used in inks, paints, plastics and even colored cements.

Bibliography

1. Azimov A. A brief history of chemistry. St. Petersburg, Amphora, 2002

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3. Copper smelting production - development and prospects. Alma-Ata, 1978

4. Stepin B.D., Alikberova L.Yu. A book on chemistry for home reading. M., Chemistry, 1994

5. Chemistry and Life (Solter chemistry). Part 1. Chemistry concepts. M.: publishing house of Russian Chemical Technical University named after. D.I.Mendeleeva, 1997

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Copper sulfides are formed mainly in medium-temperature hydrothermal veins. Copper deposits are also often found in sedimentary rocks - cuprous sandstones and shales. Most copper ore is mined by open pit mining. The copper content in the ore ranges from 0.4 to 1.0%.

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