Elemental metal and its properties
Copper, symbol Cu, is a reddish metal that can be worked and drawn into wire. Its electrical and thermal conductivity supports cables, coils and heat exchangers. Engineering choices also consider purity, strength and environment, so one favourable property does not dictate the use of pure copper everywhere.
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Native copper, ores and smelting
Native copper can be recognized and worked directly, whereas extracting copper from ores requires metallurgical transformations. Distinguishing these routes helps interpret archaeological objects and their production. A copper artefact alone does not establish whether its makers worked naturally occurring metal or deliberately smelted an ore.
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Changes produced by alloying
Copper forms bronze with tin and brass with zinc, with composition and working altering material behaviour. Tools, ceremonial objects and cast figures consequently connect with alloy technology. Alloy names suggest composition, while identifying the proportions and manufacturing history of an individual object requires evidence from the material itself.
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Copper in electrode reactions
Copper serves both as a conductor and as a participant in electrochemistry. Metal can oxidize into copper ions, while ions can be reduced into deposited metal. Galvanic cells and plating connect these transformations with external electron flow, giving copper roles as both structural material and reacting species.