Periodic Table/Copper
← NiZn →
29Cu63.5460 Da

Copper

Transition Metal·Period 4, Group 11·s-block

Red-brown transition element. Known by the Romans as 'cuprum.' Extracted and used for thousands of years. Malleable, ductile and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. When in moist conditions, a greenish layer forms on the outside.

Gallery

Macro of Native Copper about 1 ½ inches (4 cm) in size

Native_Copper_Macro_Digon3.jpg: 'Jonathan Zander (Digon3)' derivative work: Materialscientist, CC BY-SA 2.5 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5>, via Wikimedia Commons

Bohr model of Copper

Physical Propertiesmass · density · phase · crystal

Atomic Mass

63.5460Da

Density

8.9600g/cm³

Phase (STP)

Solid

Melting Point

1357.8K

Boiling Point

2833.2K

Molar Heat

0.3850J/(mol·K)

Crystal Structure

FCC

Lattice Constant

3.610Å

Atomic Radiiatomic · covalent · van der Waals

Atomic (Empirical)

135.00pm

Covalent

112.00pm

Van der Waals

196.00pm

Electronic Propertieselectronegativity · ionization · affinity

Electron Configuration

[Ar] 3d10 4s

Electron Shells

2, 8, 18, 1

Electronegativity

1.90Pauling

Electron Affinity

1.2kJ/mol

1st Ionization Energy

7.7kJ/mol

Oxidation States

+1, +2, +3, +4

Orbital DiagramAufbau · Hund's rule · Pauli exclusion

↑↓
1s2
↑↓
2s2
↑↓
↑↓
↑↓
2p6
↑↓
3s2
↑↓
↑↓
↑↓
3p6
↑↓
↑↓
↑↓
↑↓
↑↓
3d10
↑
4s1

Full: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s1Short: [Ar] 3d10 4s

Ionization Energies (29 known)

1st7.7 kJ/mol2nd20.3 kJ/mol3rd36.8 kJ/mol4th57.4 kJ/mol5th79.8 kJ/mol6th103.0 kJ/mol7th139.0 kJ/mol8th166.0 kJ/mol9th198.0 kJ/mol10th232.2 kJ/mol11th265.3 kJ/mol12th367.0 kJ/mol13th401.0 kJ/mol14th436.0 kJ/mol15th483.1 kJ/mol16th518.7 kJ/mol17th552.8 kJ/mol18th632.5 kJ/mol19th670.6 kJ/mol20th1690.5 kJ/mol21th1800.0 kJ/mol22th1918.0 kJ/mol23th2044.0 kJ/mol24th2179.4 kJ/mol25th2307.3 kJ/mol26th2479.1 kJ/mol27th2587.0 kJ/mol28th11062.4 kJ/mol29th11567.6 kJ/molSuccessive Ionization Energies

Emission Spectrumvisible range · characteristic spectral lines

511
522
578
465
Cu emission
380nm750nm
521.8 nm(100%)510.6 nm(50%)578.2 nm(40%)465.1 nm(30%)

Abundanceby mass

🌍Earth's Crust
60.0 ppm
🌊Ocean
250.0 ppt
✨Universe
60.0 ppb
🧬Human Body
1.0 ppm

Log scale · ppm = parts per million by mass

Biological Role

Essential (trace)

Cofactor in cytochrome c oxidase, superoxide dismutase. Needed for iron metabolism.

Discovery

Discovered By

Known to the ancients.

Named By

—

Year

—

Nuclear Data

Known Isotopes

33

Stable Isotopes

6

Stable Mass Numbers

52, 53, 54, 63, 65, 84

Natural isotopic abundance (IUPAC recommended values)

Isotopes of Cu33 known

NuclideZNMass (AMU)Half-lifeDecayJπAbundance
52Custable292351.997982Stablep3+—
53Custable292452.985894Stablep3/2-—
54Custable292553.977198Stablep3+—
63Custable293462.929597Stablestable (1%)3/2-6915.0000%
65Custable293664.927789Stablestable (1%)3/2-3085.0000%
82Cu295381.97237834.0 msβ⁻ (1%), β⁻n, 2n——
83Cu295482.978110Unknownβ⁻, β⁻n, 2n5/2-—
84Custable295583.985271Stableβ⁻, β⁻n——

Click any isotope for its full page with decay chain:

52Cu53Cu54Cu55Cu56Cu57Cu58Cu59Cu60Cu61Cu62Cu63Cu64Cu65Cu66Cu67Cu68Cu69Cu70Cu71Cu72Cu73Cu74Cu75Cu76Cu77Cu78Cu79Cu80Cu81Cu82Cu83Cu84Cu
Wikipedia →Data: Bowserinator · IAEA NDS · mendeleev