1.1 The Importance of Copper Copper, the red metal, has been known in histor for thousands of ears. It ma have been mankind's first metal (Joralemon= 1973). And still, probabl more than one hundred decades after native copper was used for the first time (Muhl (1973: 171-, toda, copper is a ver important commodit: 1. Onl aluminum (first in 1963) surpasses refined copper in terms of the total 1 world's mine production and consumption. It outpaces zinc, lead, nickel and tin 2. Refined copper is one of the most important export products of the developing countries. In 1975, refined copper ranked...