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Copper (pronounced /'k?p?/) is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (Latin cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with an excellent thermal and electrical conductivity. Copper is rather supple in its pure state and (when fresh) has a pinkish or peachy color, which (besides gold) is unusual for metals, which are usually silvery or grayish. It is used as a thermal conductor, an electrical conductor, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys. Copper is an essential trace nutrient to all high plant and animal life. In animals, including humans, it is found primarily in the bloodstream, as a co-factor in various enzymes and in copper-based pigments. However, in sufficient amounts, copper can be poisonous and even fatal to organisms. Copper has played a significant part in the history of mankind, which has used the easily accessible uncompounded metal for thousands of years. Evidence has been preserved from several early civilizations of the use of copper. In the Roman era, copper was principally mined on Cyprus, hence the origin of the name of the metal as Cyprium, "metal of Cyprus", later shortened to Cuprum. A number of countries, such as Chile and the United States, still have sizable reserves of the metal which are extracted through large open pit mines. However, like tin, there may be insufficient reserves to sustain current rates of consumption.[1] High demand relative to supply caused a price spike in the 2000s.[2]
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