COPPER ARTICLE

Did you every wonder why a police office is called a “cop” or “copper”?  Well now you will know the truth.  Police officers are referred to “cops” or “coppers” because their uniforms have Copper buttons on them.
    Copper is all around us, and we probably did not even realize.  Copper is a reddish color with a bright metallic luster.
    Some properties of Copper are that it is extremely malleable and ductile.  Copper is often used in the pipes that bring water from one part of our house to another.  It is also commonly used in making wires.  Copper is also an extremely good conductor of heat and electricity.  It is the largest metal used in the electrical industry.  When it comes to electrical conductivity, Copper is only second to silver.  Copper is also found in other metals, called an alloy.  Some of Copper’s most famous alloys are brass, a mixture of Copper and Zinc, and bronze, a mixture of Copper and Tin.  Some of the objects that Copper alloys are found in are gun metals and money.
    Did you ever wonder who discovered Copper?  Well, so do the scientist of the world.    Scientist do not know who actually found Copper.  They do know that is was used in Iraq around 9000 B.C.  The word Copper comes from the Latin word, cuprum.  Cuprum is Latin for Cyprus, which is an island in the Mediterranean Sea.  Copper was a preferred metal to use in ancient times because it was soft and easier to work with.
    Copper is fairly abundant in to world.  Some of the most important deposit sites are in Canada, Chile, Germany, Italy, Peru, USA, Zambia, and Zaire.
    There are some pros and cons when it comes to using Copper commercially in your house, such as a countertop or a sink.  One pro is that in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency stated that five metal alloys that contain Copper could “kill 99.9% of bacteria within two hours.”  A Copper surface is also very easy to clean.  All that is required is soap and water.
    The cons can out way the pros.  Copper is a softer metal, so it is more susceptible to damage, such as scratches or dings.  Another problem, is that Copper tends to change color when it comes into contact with typical household products.  Unless the Copper is properly sealed, it will lose its attractive metallic color.  Yet there are some people that consider the discoloration of the Copper an attractive feature, so therefore, there is a hidden pro.
    There are also many more interesting facts about Copper besides the “coppers” fact.  One of those is that even twenty-four carat gold contains some copper.  Gold is so soft that it requires Copper to make it easier to shape.  The Statue of Liberty contains more than eighty tons of copper.  When Copper corrodes it turns a greenish color. That is why the Statue of Liberty has a greenish tint to it.  Copper alloy tools will not cause a spark, so they are better to use in dangerous situations.  
    As you can see, Copper is a very important element.    Copper is essential to our everyday life.