| Definition | Copper, also known as cu(ii) or copper (II) ion, belongs to the class of inorganic compounds known as homogeneous transition metal compounds. These are inorganic compounds containing only metal atoms,with the largest atom being a transition metal atom. Copper is a weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Copper exists in all living species, ranging from bacteria to humans. In humans, copper is involved in disulfiram action pathway. Outside of the human body, Copper has been detected, but not quantified in, several different foods, such as brussel sprouts, chicory roots, rosemaries, lemon grass, and roman camomiles. This could make copper a potential biomarker for the consumption of these foods. Copper is a potentially toxic compound. Copper, with regard to humans, has been found to be associated with several diseases such as mental retardation, enteropathy, deafness, peripheral neuropathy, ichthyosis, and keratoderma, occipital horn syndrome, and parkinson's disease; copper has also been linked to several inborn metabolic disorders including hyperzincaemia and hypercalprotectinaemia and menkes disease. |
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