Copper is an interesting metal with nearly unlimited uses and potential. I am sure you have heard about the basics of copper, such as the fact that its atomic number is 29, it has a reddish-gold color, it is malleable, ductile, and a good heat/electricity conductor, and so forth. You also probably know that copper is used in electricity, currency (coins), and plumbing. However, this information doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to knowing all about copper and its importance in everyday life.
First, to get you acquainted with the importance of copper, let’s discuss its prevalence. Copper can be found in nearly all electrical wiring in your house, in nearly all the plumbing lines and parts in your house, and even in the change in your pocket. Taking it a step further, did you know that the famous Statue of Liberty was made of copper? That’s right, yes it is – the Statue of Liberty is copper-shaped sheeting placed over an iron frame. Copper can also be found in tons of industrial machines across the United States, and even across the globe, for its abundance and potential. Also, copper is commonly used in jewelry. Copper can even be found on people’s homes as roofing material due to it being strong and long-lasting, and now it is common to find copper gutters on houses for the same reason.
For example, you may not know that copper has a melting point of 1,982℉ and a boiling point of 4,652℉. I bet you don’t know that copper has 29 isotopes, or that copper has a lot of insoluble forms, such as copper (II) fluoride, known as CuF2, or copper (II) chloride, known as CuCl2. However, what does all this mean? What is the importance of all this? Let’s start from the beginning!
Copper is a transition metal on the periodic table of elements. It can be found in Group 11B, in Period 4. Basically, this means it is the eleventh column from the left side of the periodic table, in the fourth row down. The symbol for copper is “Cu.” According to the periodic table of elements, its atomic number is 29 and its average atomic mass is 63.546 (though we commonly use 63.5 as its atomic mass). Also, since it is a transition metal, we know a lot of its properties such as its unique color, which is a result of the way air (oxygen) interacts with the metal itself and the bonds, which I will explain more in-depth later. Another property of copper is that it is durable, strong, resistant to corrosion (rust), is ductile (bendable and shapeable), and malleable (able to be hammered without cracking/breaking).
As for electrons of copper, we know that copper has 29 electrons (this comes from its atomic number). The electron configuration looks like this: 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s², 3p⁶, 4s², 3d⁹. This comes from the periodic table of elements and the electron configuration table. Ideally, this is the electron configuration in our textbook. However, in reality, this is a more stable electron configuration for copper: 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s², 3p⁶, 3d¹⁰, 4s¹. This is more stable because one electron has moved from 4s to complete the 3d and make it more stable.
Another important use of copper in modern-day society is its use in ammunition, specifically bullet jackets (also known as casings). First, to explain the severe importance of copper in bullet jackets, I’ll explain guns and bullet jackets in depth. A bullet jacket is the outside part of the cartridge, or bullet.
In this diagram, you can see how the trigger and firing pin of a handgun (the concept is the same in long guns, also known as rifles, as well). When the trigger is pulled, it sets off the firing pin, which uses the cartridge itself to shoot the bullet (or projectile).
To the left, using the diagram, you can see how the cartridge works. When you pull the trigger of the gun, the firing pin is set off, which hits the primer on the head, sets off an explosive charge in the jacket, which in turn sends the bullet down the barrel of the gun.
Now, after the bullet is shot, the jacket stays behind. In order for the gun to continue firing, it must get rid of the jacket in the barrel and load another round.
For the gun to remove the jacket, it uses an extractor bolt of the handgun itself and the extractor groove of the cartridge to eject the jacket out the side of the handgun, through an extraction port. Then, the next round is automatically loaded into the barrel using the magazine of the gun.
Now, I know that that seems like a lot of information, but it is important to understand how weapons (primarily speaking handguns) work to understand coppers importance to them. Handguns are relied on by millions of law enforcement officers and government employees and military personnel every single day, and when it comes down to it, they need to be able to rely and trust their lives on them. That’s where copper comes into play.
For handguns to be reliable, they must shoot cleanly, efficiently, reliably, and accurately, and sometimes they need to be able to be shot repeatedly; multiple times, over and over in a short period of time. This is why copper is the primary component of jackets (usually 95% copper), because for starters, copper has an extremely high melting point, so it can withstand the high temperatures found inside of handguns when they are fired repeatedly. Secondly, in comparison with other metals used in jackets throughout history, such as lead, copper is fairly light, which aids in fast, smooth, clean jacket ejection. If the jacket weighs a lot, it may cause frequent jams which can be deadly in most situations. Also, copper helps prevent frequent jams because copper metal is usually pretty consistent overall, whereas other metals used in jackets, such as lead, are not so consistent and may be “lumpier” or heavier on one side than the other and such. Another reason copper is great in ammunition is because it is corrosion resistant. This is helpful to law enforcement officers especially, since they keep preloaded magazines both in their handguns and on their belts for long period of times, ranging everywhere from months at a time to years at a time. Now of course, law enforcement officers generally go out and conduct target practice every now and then to stay sharp, but in between this, when the gun is never used, they need to know and trust that the gun is constantly ready to both protect their lives and the lives of the citizens they are sworn to protect and serve.
Lastly, copper is a good metal to be recycled, because it can be melted down in a metal furnace and poured back into molds to make new things. This is great for thousands of shooting ranges across the United States, and even lots around the world, because they can go back at the end of the day and collect all the spent bullet jackets and sell them to copper recycling companies who then just melt them down and make new bullet jackets for ammunition manufacturers. However, this isn’t the only way copper jackets can be recycled. A lot of shooters now “reload” their spent bullet jackets to save cost on buying new ammunition, which can be very costly. To do this, they just buy primers, black powder, and the actual bullet (or projectile) pieces for the jacket. Then, they just load the jacket with the primer, black powder, and bullet and use a press to press it all back together to make a new, ready-to-use cartridge.
References
https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/8642372_f520.jpg
http://www.m1911.org/images/safety.jpg
http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/jpeg2/FOR110.gif
https://www.sierrabullets.com/products/bullet-jackets/
http://www.beyondweird.com/survival/chapt-3.html
https://www.quora.com/Why-copper-is-used-in-bullets
How does the case get ejected from a semi-auto pistol or rifle? from guns
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-bullet-cartridges-have-a-copper-casing
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