Question

What are copper ions?

Answer 1

Ion: It is a particle or an atom which carries a charge on it. By convention, an ion is represented as the symbol of an atom followed by a superscript that contains a charge. An ion can be of two types i.e., positively charged ion which is termed as cation and a negatively charged ion which is termed as an anion.

Complete answer:
Copper: It is a ductile metal that has a very high electrical and thermal conductivity. The atomic number of copper atom is $29$and is placed in d-block elements among the first transition series. Because of its property of conductivity, it is used as a conductor of heat and electricity in wires and various other appliances. It is also used as a constituent of several metal alloys.
When the copper atom releases its electrons to form chemical bonds, then the formation of ions takes place which are known as copper ions. Generally, copper exist in two oxidation states i.e., two types of copper ions exist which are as follows:
Cuprous ion: When the copper atom is in its $( + 1)$ oxidation state, then it is known as cuprous ion. It is represented by the symbol $C{u^ + }$. These ions are diamagnetic in nature and hence are colourless. Some of the examples of compounds that contain cuprous ions are: Cuprous oxide $(C{u_2}O)$, Cuprous chloride $(C{u_2}C{l_2})$, Cuprous sulphide $(C{u_2}S)$, etc.
Cupric ion: When the copper atom is in its $( + 2)$ oxidation state, then it is known as cupric ion. It is represented by the symbol $C{u^{2 + }}$. These ions are paramagnetic in nature due to the presence of an unpaired electron and hence are blue in colour. Some of the examples of compounds that contain cupric ions are: Cupric oxide $(CuO)$, Cupric chloride $(CuC{l_2})$, Cupric sulphate $(CuS{O_4})$, etc.

Note:
Oxidation state: It is the number of electrons gained or released by an atom while forming a chemical bond. The d-block elements have a tendency to show variable oxidation states and hence are known as transition metal atoms.