Copper is a beautiful and useful metallic material, found both in pure form and in chemical compounds in your home. The name originates from the word cuprum in Latin. The name means “from the isle of Cyprus,” famous for its copper mines.
Of all the elements, copper has a distinctive reddish-metallic colouring. Gold, which has a yellowish hue, is the only other non-silvery element on the periodic table. The addition of copper to gold is how it creates red gold or rose gold.Copper, along with gold and meteorite iron, was the first metal to be man-made. This is because these metals were among the few that remain in their native state, so it was possible to find the relatively pure metal in nature.
Metals that need to be made into different shapes can be shaped using Bending Machines and other pieces of equipment and this includes copper and its alloys. With other metals, copper readily forms alloys. Brass (copper and zinc) and bronze (copper and tin) are two of the best-known alloys, although hundreds of alloys exist.
Copper, a hallmark of transition metals, has many attractive properties. It is soft, malleable, ductile, and an outstanding heat and electricity conductor, and it is resistant to corrosion. To form copper oxide, or verdigris, which is a green colour, copper gradually oxidises. The reason the Statue of Liberty is green rather than reddish-orange is because of this oxidation.