COPPER ORE TO COPPER METAL

Copper (Cu), chemical element, a reddish, extremely ductile metal.It is an unusually good conductor of electricity and heat.It is used in almost all electrical appliances. Copper is found in the free metallic state in nature known as native copper, was first used (c. 8000 BCE) as a substitute for stone. Copper-bearing ores are of two main classes: oxidized ores and sulfide ores. The oxidized ores, are cuprite and tenorite, they can be reduced directly to metallic copper by heating with carbon in a furnace. The sulfide ores, are chalcopyrite and chalcocite, require a more complex treatment in which low-grade ores must be enriched before smelting is carried out. Sulfide ores are more important commercially. Half of the world's copper deposits are in the form of chalcopyrite ore.



#copper #gajananramchandrameshram