Copper

Blake Adams Period 3
Grade 8 2/5/97




Copper Report




Copper is a mineral. it is not a plant or a animal. Copper is a
metallic metal. It can never be broken down into differnet substances by
normal chemical means. Copper was one of the first metals known to humans.
People liked it because in it's native condition, it could easily be beaten into
weapons or tools. Copper has been one of the most useful metals for over
5000 years. Copper was probably used around 8000 B.C by people living
along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In 6000 B.C, Egyptians learned how to
hammer copper into things they wanted. Around 3500 B.C, People first
learned how to melt copper with tin to make bronze. So the period between
3000 B.C and 1100 B.C became known as the bronze age.
Today, some of the leading states of the copper industry
are Arizona with 747,000 short tons, Utah with 187,000 short tons, New
Mexico with 161,000 short tons. Some other leading countries are Chile with
1,422,000 short tons, United States with 1,203,000 short tons, Soviet Union
with 650,000 short tons, and Zambia with 596,000 short tons.
When copper is being mined, both Native copper and copper ore
are usually found. The highest grade of copper ore is pale silvery gray.
Miners used to be always in danger in copper mines. Today, we have reduced
a fair amount of these hazards. Miners wear hats made of iron or very hard
plastic. This is to protect them from falling rocks. Lamps are also attached to
these helmets in case some of the lighting in the mine goes out leaving a
miner stranded in the dark. One of the biggest problems with mining is that in
some places dangerous gas's may exist, like Carbon Monoxide. In the past
we had very cruel and inhuman ways to detect harmful gases. One of these
ways was the use of canaries. Miners would let them fly into a part of the
mine where a poison gas was suspected. If there was a harmful gas, the bird
would fall over dead at the first scent of the gas. Today, we have better ways
to detect gases without having animals die. We now have detection machines
in all parts of mines. Mines also have top of the line fire alarms and water
systems. If a flammable gas ignites, like sulfur, the fire may not die for years,
which results in closing the mine. Another problem miners complain about are
the rats. Mines will often have mine cats that hunt out the rats. These cats are
well fed and petted by most of the miners.
Most copper is found in seven ores. That means it's mixed
in with other metals like lead, zinc, gold, cobalt, bismuth, platinum, and
nickel. These ores will usually have only about 4% pure copper in them
though. Sometimes miners may only find 2%. The things that make copper
such a popular metal are malleability which is how easily it bends. Copper is
highly malleable and won't crack when hammered or stamped. Ductility is
also a good property and is the ability to be molded or bent into a shape.
Copper can be pulled into very thin wire. For example, if you took a copper
bar, 4 inches (10 centimeters) square, you could draw it into wire thinner then
a human hair. One of the most amazing things about copper is its resistence to
corrosion. Copper will not rust. However, when the air grows damp, copper
will go from reddish-orange to reddish brown. After being in damp air for
long periods of time, a green film will coat the copper, called patina, which
will protect it from further corrosion.
Since copper is one of the most widely used metals in the
world we use it for a lot of things. Copper gives us water heaters, boilers and
cooking utensils. It is used for out door power lines, cables, lamp cords, and
house wiring. Electrical machinery like generators, motors, controllers,
signaling devices, electro magnets, and communication devices all use
copper.