Oct
2
2009

Who Discovered Copper

Copper is naturally found in the soil. It is usually found together with sulfur. Copper metal is made by mining ores and refining them into copper cathode. In its pure form copper appears with a shade of pink and orange Copper’s atomic symbol is Cu.

Earliest discoverers of Copper

Copper is considered a prehistoric metal. There is evidence copper was used by the ancient people in the Americas as early as 1, 000 BC. In those days copper was found and used almost in pure form. American Indians of the Upper Peninsula used copper to make spear tips, jewelry, and trinkets.

In ancient Rome and the Mediterranean, copper is believed to have been used for close to 11, 000 years. The Romans, in particular, used copper to make weapons of all sorts. Their cooking and kitchen tools were made from copper.  The Romans got their huge supply of copper from the island of Cyprus. As proof of that, copper’s Latin name is cuprum, meaning coming from Cyprus.

copper1 Who Discovered Copper

Copper was also widely used in the Middle East at the time. There were huge copper smelting spots in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. What they did instead was blend copper, iron, and tin to make bronze. They were good at making alloys, especially bronze and brass. Both are stronger than copper.

Copper and alloys were used in huge amounts in Turkey and the Far East around 5000 BC. What is striking is that the technology in Asia was pretty much the same as the one used in the Mediterranean and in the Americas. Starting with the process of mining to smelting, the method had little differences.

The ancient Hindus used copper for other reasons aside from making weapons. They made coins, lamps, idols, and eating utensils out of copper. Little copper tubes were also found in ancient burial grounds under the Egyptian pyramids. Copper was the metal of choice even at the time for a very obvious reason. Copper does not rust and is barely tarnished by water and wind.

 

Modern uses of copper

Copper is used for making roofs. In cars, radiators and brake lines are made of copper. Electrical and building lines are almost entirely made of copper.  For home use, appliance and plumbing tools are made of copper, too.  Computers need copper to work. The computer’s chips and circuit boards are made of copper. In fact, IBM uses copper to make its computer chips instead of the usual aluminum.  Not only is copper cheaper, it also allows faster computing.

Copper1 Who Discovered Copper

Health benefits of copper

As a trace mineral in the human body, copper offers many health benefits. Copper acts an antioxidant by eating up free radicals. A small amount of copper from whole foods is enough to increase hemoglobin and myelin. Copper also strengthens the nerve fibers. Copper works closely with Vitamin C to make connective tissues like elastin and collagen. Having healthy skin and bones is a result of copper.  The figure conscious should consume a lot of sea foods, nuts, dark chocolates, pure cocoa, because these are rich sources of copper.

Meanwhile, huge copper reserves are found in Canada, Peru, the USA, Chile, Zaire, and Zambia.

About the Author:

Sam Reese is a web enthusiasts and blogger. He is a history student and loves to write and read histories of different things.

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