(2) 
-------------The Smelting Process of Copper----------
Other
equations for smelting include:
2Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
(s) + 3C (s) = 6Cu (s) + 7CO2 (g) + 2H2O
(g)
2CuO
(s) + C (s) = 2Cu (s) + CO2
(g)
Tin bronze replaced arsenical bronzes due to the poisonous properties of arsenal and the limited knowledge of the amount of arsenal in each copper ore. This led to deformities in blacksmiths that tin bronze helped mitigate. Tin bronze is much harder and less brittle than any of its competitors. Bronze can be shaped after smelting by a process called cold hammering. This cannot be done too much however, because the crystalline structures shift and become more brittle. Forging, though slightly more effective, cannot be done with bronze because it becomes too fragile at extremely high temperatures. Bronze weapons became very hard to fight against, as their sharpness only matched their strength. Bronze was mainly used for decorative, ritualistic and exuberant purposes, such as jewelry
.
