Cupric

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkjuːpɹɪk/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to compounds where copper exhibits a +2 oxidation state
2. Referring to chemical substances in which copper ions possess a valence of two
3. Connected to copper ions bearing a charge of two positive units in chemical compounds

Etymology: "Cupric" is a plain chemical coinage built from the Latin "cuprum," meaning copper. That Latin noun is itself often traced to "Cyprium aes," or "Cyprian metal," because the Romans obtained much of their copper from Cyprus, the island that gave the metal its name. The "-ic" ending is the familiar adjective suffix used across chemistry, as in "ferric" and "sulfuric," to mark a compound in which the element is present in a particular combining state. In "cupric," the suffix specifies that copper is the more highly charged form, with a valence of two. Chemists sorted the two copper compounds this way, using "cupric" for the divalent form and "cuprous" for the monovalent one, so the pair of words marks a distinction between two states of the same metal rather than two different substances.