Purification of solid copper
Copper forms two different types of solids. Black copper is impure, containing many metal and oxygen impurities. The shiny copper we are more familiar with is the other type. Pure metals are shiny because of the lack of impurities, meaning there is an optimal flow of electrons between the metal cations.
Purification of copper from precipitation often forms black copper, because of the oxygen-rich environment and metal impurities in the zinc plate. Pure copper can be obtained using the following techniques: