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Copper is a pillar of civilization: it was present when the Stone Age was left behind, it was an important tool for inventors, artisans and artists for milennia, it served to make possible the progress of man in the last two centuries, and it is a key element for mankind´s future. The human beings of the early XXI century are permanently in contact with copper, at their homes and offices, in the streets, in their cars, and whenever they do something typical of modern life: turn on the light, speak on the phone or drink tap water. And this contact just increases with the advent of new technologies. The most common form of presentation of pure copper is as a reddish metal. But it also has other aspects: it participates in some 450 alloys. And last but not least, it is a natural component of life: copper is required by animals and plants. In the periodic table of the elements, copper has its own symbol:
"Cu". Its atomic number is 29; its atomic mass is 63.546;
its fusion point is 1,803 degrees Celsius; its boiling point is
2,567 degrees Celsius; and it is defined as a non ferrous transition
metal.
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Copper
