The Copper is a reddish colored metal which is malleable and ductile. It has superior thermal & electrical conductivities & excellent corrosion resistance.
It is found in sulphide ores and as carbonate, arsenide and chloride. Extraction of the metal involves roasting the ore to produce the oxide, followed by diminution & refinement by electrolysis. The element is inert to non-oxidizing acids but reacts with oxidizing agent.
In air, it will weather to make the characteristic green patina of the carbonate. Copper will merge with oxygen on heating to produce CuO at red heat, and Cu2O at elevated temp.
Pure copper has an electrical conductivity second only to that of silver and hence its main application is in the electrical plants. Copper is also the basis of many imperative alloys (e.g. brass, bronze and aluminum bronze, and has been usually measured to be one of the coinage metals, along with Silver & Gold, but being more common, is the least valued. It is one of the first metals ever to have been worked by man and is thought to have been mined for more than 4900 years approximate.