copper

Also known as Cu, element 29, 29Cu, Tatum-T, Paragard T 380A, CU-7

Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color. Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins, and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement.

AI overview

Copper is a soft, pinkish-orange metal that conducts heat and electricity exceptionally well, making it ideal for electrical wiring and thermal applications. It's also valued as a building material and for creating useful metal alloys used in jewelry, coins, marine equipment, and temperature-measuring instruments.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Chemical data

Formula: Cu
Molecular weight: 63.55 g/mol
IUPAC name: copper
SMILES: [Cu]
InChIKey: RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Polar surface area: 0 Å²
H-bond donors: 0
H-bond acceptors: 0
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Drug data · ChEMBL

Max clinical phase: Approved
Molecule type: Small molecule
First approval: 1982
Admin. routes: topical
Indications: bacterial vaginosis, glioblastoma multiforme, breast cancer, prostate cancer

via ChEMBL · EBI

Research

185,649 papers

Copper: effects of deficiency and overload.ReviewMetal ions in life sciences · 2013Scheiber I, Dringen R, Mercer JFDOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-7500-8_11
Copper deficiency anemia: review article.ReviewAnnals of hematology · 2018Myint ZW, Oo TH, Thein KZ et al.DOI: 10.1007/s00277-018-3407-5
The molecular mechanism and therapeutic landscape of copper and cuproptosis in cancer.ReviewSignal transduction and targeted therapy · 2025Guo Z, Chen D, Yao L et al.DOI: 10.1038/s41392-025-02192-0
Copper and Diabetes: Current Research and Prospect.ReviewMolecular nutrition & food research · 2023Chang W, Li PDOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202300468
Copper homeostasis and the ubiquitin proteasome system.ReviewMetallomics : integrated biometal science · 2023Zhang B, Burke RDOI: 10.1093/mtomcs/mfad010
Copper.ReviewJournal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology · 1999Barceloux DGDOI: 10.1081/clt-100102421
Copper hypersensitivity.ReviewContact dermatitis · 2014Fage SW, Faurschou A, Thyssen JPDOI: 10.1111/cod.12273
Copper in cancer: friend or foe? Metabolism, dysregulation, and therapeutic opportunities.ReviewCancer communications (London, England) · 2025Shan D, Song J, Ren Y et al.DOI: 10.1002/cac2.70005

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Mass: 63.546
Image: Mwyngloddiau Copr y Gogarth - Great Orme Copper Mines; Mehefin - June 2023 02.jpg

Show 24 more facts

element symbol: Cu
Commons category: Copper
atomic number: 29
electronegativity: 1.9
oxidation state: 4
NIOSH Pocket Guide ID: 0150
density: 8.94
immediately dangerous to life or health: 100
Commons gallery: Copper
melting point: 1085
boiling point: 2595
vapor pressure: 0
time-weighted average exposure limit: 1
canonical SMILES: [Cu]
thermal conductivity: 413
time of discovery or invention: 7000-00-00
compressive modulus of elasticity: 100
OpenStreetMap tag: resource=copper
chemical formula: Cu
Unicode character: 銅
electrical resistivity: 0.000000017
ionic radius: 0.73
P8168: Gorgons
2022 Harmonized System Code: 740311

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~48 min read

Article

47 sections

Contents

Etymology
Characteristics
Physical
Chemical
Isotopes
Occurrence
Production
Reserves and prices
Copper demand
Extraction<span class="anchor" id="Methods"></span>
Recycling
Environmental impacts
Alloys
Compounds
Binary compounds
Coordination chemistry
Organocopper chemistry
Copper(III) and copper(IV)
Biological role
Biochemistry
Nutrition
Absorption and regulation
Dietary recommendations
Deficiency
Toxicity
Bioleaching
Human exposure
History
Prehistoric
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Ancient and post-classical
Modern
Applications
Wire and cable
Electronics and related devices
Electric motors
Architecture
Antibiofouling
Antimicrobial
Fungicide
Folk medicine
See also
References
Notes
Further reading
External links

Copper is one of the few native metals, meaning metals that occur naturally in a directly usable, unalloyed metallic form. This led to very early human use in several regions, from . Thousands of years later, it was the first metal to be smelted from sulfide ores, ; the first metal to be cast into a shape in a mold, ; and the first metal to be purposely alloyed with another metal, tin, to create bronze, .