Some Copper History

Copper Alloys

- Over 400 copper alloys are in use today.

- Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.

- Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, aluminum, silicon, and beryllium.

- Copper-nickel and copper-silver alloys are important metals in today's world.

The industrial importance of copper in the 20th Century has been extended by the ease with which it combines with other metals. Tin and zinc have always been the principal alloying elements, but there are now many others - aluminum, beryllium, chromium, manganese, etc. - which form alloys with special mechanical and physical properties.

Alloys containing copper fall into main types: Copper-base alloys, such as brass, tin bronze and aluminum bronze, in which copper itself is the predominant element; and Copper-bearing alloys, such as certain aluminum alloys, high-duty alloys to resist severe corrosion, and steels and cast irons which are improved by small additions of copper. The proprietary alloy 'Monel', a mixture of copper and larger amounts of nickel, occupies an intermediate field between these two main classes.

Some History

- One of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls found in Israel is made of

copper instead of fragile animal skins. The scroll

contains clues to a still undiscovered treasure.

- Archeologists have recovered a portion of a water plumbing

system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. After

5,000 years, the copper tubing was still in serviceable condition.

- A copper frying pan at the University of Pennsylvania's

museum has been dated to be more than 50 centuries old.

- When Columbus sailed to America, his ships (Nina, Pinta, and

Santa Maria) had copper skins below the water line.

The copper sheathing extended hull life and protected against

barnacles and other types of biofouling. Today, most

sea-going vessels use a copper-based paint for hull protection.

Archaeological evidence indicates that copper was used as far

back as 10,000 years ago in western Asia. During the

prehistoric Chalcolithic Period, societies discovered how to

extract and use copper to produce ornaments and

implements. As early as the 3rd-4th Millennium BC, copper was

actively extracted from Spain's Huelva region.

Around 2500 BC, the discovery of useful properties of copper-

tin alloys led to the Bronze Age.

It has been documented that Israel's Timna Valley provided

copper for the Pharaohs. Papyrus records from ancient

Egypt reveal that copper was used to treat infections and

sterilize water. The island of Cyprus is known to have

supplied much of the copper needed for the empires of ancient

Phoenicia, Greece, and Rome.

While the Greeks during Aristotle's era were familiar with brass,

it was not until Augustus' Imperial Rome that brass

became abundantly used. In South America, the pre-Columbian

Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations exploited

copper, as well as gold and silver. During the Middle Ages,

copper and bronze flourished in China, India, and Japan.

The discoveries and inventions in the late 18th and early 19th

Centuries by Ampere, Faraday, and Ohm propelled

copper into a new era. Demonstrating excellent electrical

conducting and heat transfer characteristics, copper played

a pivotal role in launching the Industrial Revolution.

The discoveries and inventions in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries by Ampere, Faraday, and Ohm propelled copper into a new era. Demonstrating excellent electrical conducting and heat transfer characteristics, copper played a pivotal role in launching the Industrial Revolution.

Archeologists have recovered a portion of a water plumbing system in Egypt. A copper frying pan at the University of Pennsylvania's museum has been dated to be more than 50 centuries old.

Antimicrobial Copper Surfaces:

Copper and its alloys, brass and bronze, are naturally antimicrobial materials. Recent laboratory research performed under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved protocols demonstrated that copper alloy surfaces kill more than 99.9% of several bacteria known to be human pathogens within two hours. Tests were conducted at room temperature and under normal humidity conditions. The organisms tested were:

* Staphylococcus aureus
* Enterobacter aerogenes
* Escherichia coli O157:H7
* Pseudomonas aeruginosa and
* Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

275 copper alloys, including brass and bronze, have been registered with the US EPA as antimicrobial materials that kill these bacteria. The materials offer a wide range of mechanical and aesthetic properties that make them ideal for use as antibacterial surfaces. Copper alloys are the first solid materials ever to be granted such registration. Typically, this type of registration has been granted to liquids (or aerosols) and gases under the categories of sanitizers and disinfectants.

Frequently-touched surfaces in healthcare and other community facilities including public and commercial buildings can become contaminated with bacteria. Using uncoated copper alloys can be an effective way to kill the bacteria on these surfaces.

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