Copper

Symbol: Cu
Atomic number: 29
Category: transition metals
Group: 11
Period: 4
Block: d
Atomic weight: 63.546 g/mol
Electrons per shell: 2, 8, 18, 1
CAS number: 7440-50-8
Phase: solid
Density: 8.94 kg/dm³ (near room temperature)
Melting point: 1357.77 K (1084.62 °C, 1984.32 °F)
Boiling point: 2835 K (2562 °C, 4643 °F)
Crystal structure: face centered cubic
Oxidation states: 1, 2, 3, 4
Electronegativity: 1.90 (Pauling scale)
Name's origin: Cyprium
Name's meaning: 'metal of Cyprus', as it was principally mined in Cyprus, though later shortened to Cuprum
Facts:
- is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity
- has played a significant part in the history of mankind
- is used as a thermal conductor, an electrical conductor, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys
- in animals, including humans, it is found widely in tissues, with concentration in liver, muscle, and bone
- copper 2+ ions are soluble in water, where they function at low concentration as bacteriostatic substances and fungicides