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Cu Copper

Copper is the metal in plastocyanin, a small electron-carrier protein of photosynthesis.

Basic facts

SymbolCu
Atomic number29
Standard atomic weight63.55
Group11
Period4
Blockd-block
CategoryTransition metal
Standard stateSolid
DiscoveredAncient

Source: PubChem, Copper (periodic table data, retrieved 2026-10-19). Group and period follow the standard 18-column periodic table.

Biotech uses & experiments

biology

lab biology 1978

Structure of plastocyanin

Colman and colleagues determined the X-ray crystal structure of plastocyanin at 2.7 Å resolution.

As reported in: Colman, Freeman, Guss et al. (1978). X-ray crystal structure analysis of plastocyanin at 2.7 Å resolution. Nature. doi:10.1038/272319a0

Abstract only

Topics on this site about copper

Entries elsewhere on the site that mention copper

Found by name, common compounds and chemical formulas in each entry.

Patents

Search Google Patents for copper in biological and medical uses: all patents · recent applications (2022+)

A patent is a legal claim, not proof that something works. See the Patents page.