COPPER (CU)

-Latin origin -(cuprum) Roman town of Cyprus-Similar to Ag, Au-Pure copper is pink/ copper exposed to air (oxidized) is reddish orange-Ductile/ high Thermal and Electrical conductivity

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES Cu+1 (cuprous), Cu+2 (cupric), Cu+3, Cu+4

Water-Soluble Reacts w/ atmospheric Oxygen

Copper Corrosion

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES Oxygen-containing ammonia solutions give

water-soluble complexes with copper Hydrochloric acid/hydrogen peroxide also

react with copper chlorides to form copper(II) salts

Copper(II) chloride and copper (+0) comproportionate to form copper(I) chloride

PRODUCTION HISTORY Most copper (Copper Sulfide) is extracted

from large open pit mines Crushed ores are subjected to froth flotation or

bioleaching Heating the material with silica removes the iron

slag and drops the copper matte to the bottom The copper matte is roasted to oxidize the

sulfides The resulting blister copper is heated and blown

with natural gas to remove oxygen Electro-refining (electro-platting) the im-pure

copper produces pure copper

PRODUCTION HISTORYCopper sulfides

Copper carbonates

Copper Oxides

USES AND APPLICATIONS Bronze Age- (Alloying of copper with zinc or

tin to make brass and bronze) right after the Chalcolithic age Currency Weapons/Tools Construction Art Sculptures Electrical Wires Roofing/Plumbing Machinery Wood Preservative Fungicide Biostatic Property

Antimicrobial Antibiofouling

MODE OF ENTRY INTO AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT Copper Water Pipes Contaminated Drinking water (excess CuS) Runoff ladened w/excess CuS sprayed on

fruits and vegetables

REACTIVITY W/ WATER AND OTHER PROP. Dissolved in Water

In form of salts Cu+3 and +4 form fluoride complexes

o29 Isotopes of copper

• 63Cu,65Cu are stable (63Cu 69% of naturally occurring)

• 67Cu and above,64Cu and below are very unstable

• 68mCu (3.8 min half-life)

o62Cu and 64Cu have significant applications. 64Cu used in X-ray imaging and treating cancer

TOXICITY TO AQUATIC LIFE Copper strongly adsorbs into organic matter

making it an effective algaecide At acute toxic levels, copper effects fish,

invertebrates, and amphibians equally The deleterious effects of copper are seen more

commonly in the organs of aquatic organisms than terrestrial organisms mollusks have a higher potential to bioconcentrate

copper than do fish effects on bird growth rates and egg production

Requires high concentrations to effect mammals liver cirrhosis, kidney necrosis, brain necrosis, and

even fetal mortality can occur

MODES OF TOXICITY

Essential in hemocyanin and cytochrome c oxidase in aerobic respiration

Acute toxic levels enter the organism through ingestion from food or water

Free copper causes toxicity as it generates reactive oxygen species; superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, the hydroxyl radical These damage proteins, lipids and DNA

MODES OF TOXICITY

Redox Cycling of Cu(II) in the body Cu(II) strongly catalyzes the oxidation of TBHQ to

TBQ TBQH comes from BHA; a food preservative and

possible antioxidant However, oxidation of TBQH produces reactive

oxidative species H(2)O(2) Leads to extensive DNA strand breaks

butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)2-tert-butyl(1,4)hydroquinone (TBHQ)2-tert-butyl(1,4)paraquinone (TBQ)

BIOCHEMICAL METABOLISM

Alterations in the levels of glycerol, phospholipids, glycerides, sterols, sterol esters and free fatty acids due to copper sulphate treatment in mantle and digestive gland of mollusc Possible mechanism of detoxification, prevalent

in this fresh water mollusc Mammals have efficient mechanisms to

regulate copper such that they are generally protected from excess dietary copper levels

MODES OF DETOXIFICATION

Metallothionein Localized in the Golgi apparatus and a cysteine-

rich protein Capacity to bind heavy metals through the thiol

group of its cysteine residues Provides regulation of physiological heavy metals

(Cu, Zn) Therefore, may protect against oxidative stress

COPPER AS A POSSIBLE DETOXIFIER OF HALOGENATED COMPOUNDS Fenton's reaction for degradation of

perchloroethene (volatile organic compound) Copper accelerates the reaction of iron (III)with

hydrogen peroxide to generate increased amounts of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals

These radicals can react with a variety of VOCs and mineralize them

Enabling targeted VOC extraction from effected areas

BIBLIOGRAPHYSlide 1: Inorganic Chemistry. San Diego: Academic Press; 2001S2: Inorganic Chemistry. San Diego: Academic Press; 2001S3: Nature's building blocks: an A-Z guide to the elements., Oxford University Press. pp. 121–125; 2011S4: Chemistry of the Elements., 2nd ed. Oxford; 1997S5: The Elements, in Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 81st edition.S6: Encyclopedia of the History of Technology. London ; New York: Routledge. pp. 13;48–66S7: Copper Toxicity., The Eck Institute of Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics; 1999S8: Evaluation of Nuclear and Decay Properties., Nuclear Physics A., Atomic Mass Data Center; 729S9: Principles of bioinorganic chemistry., University Science Books:1994S10: DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species originating from a copper-dependent oxidation of the 2-hydroxy catechol of estradiol. Carcinogenesis 15 (7): 1421–142S11: Copper redox-dependent activation of 2-tert-butyl(1,4)hydroquinone: formation of reactive oxygen species and induction of oxidative DNA damage in isolated DNA and cultured rat hepatocytes. Mutat Res. 2002 Jul 25;518(2):123-33S12: SUS Environmental Protection Agency., http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/copper-alloy-products.htmS13: Metallothioneins and Related Chelators. Metal Ions in Life Sciences. 5. Cambridge: RSC Publishing., Sigel, A.; Sigel, H.; Sigel, R.K.O., ed (2009)S14: A possible mechanism of detoxification of copper, in the fresh water mollusc, Lymnaea luteolaPhysiol Pharmacol. 1993 Oct-Dec