Copper oxide explained

Copper oxide is any of several binary compounds composed of the elements copper and oxygen. Two oxides are well known, Cu₂O and CuO, corresponding to the minerals cuprite and tenorite, respectively. Paramelaconite is less well characterized.^[1]

Copper oxide may refer to:

• Copper(I) oxide (cuprous oxide,)
• Copper(II) oxide (cupric oxide, CuO)
• Copper peroxide, a hypothetical compound
• Paramelaconite (copper(I,II) oxide,)
• Copper(III) oxide does not exist although Cu(III) is a component of cuprate superconductors
• Copper(IV) oxide has been proposed to exist in the gas phase^[2]

Notes and References

1. 10.1002/pssb.201248128 . Binary copper oxide semiconductors: From materials towards devices . 2012 . Meyer . B. K. . Polity . A. . Reppin . D. . Becker . M. . Hering . P. . Klar . P. J. . Sander . Th. . Reindl . C. . Benz . J. . Eickhoff . M. . Heiliger . C. . Heinemann . M. . Bläsing . J. . Krost . A. . Shokovets . S. . Müller . C. . Ronning . C. . Physica Status Solidi (B) . 249 . 8 . 1487–1509 . 2012PSSBR.249.1487M .
2. Structure of copper oxide (CuO₂) and its photochemistry in rare gas matrixes . V. E. . Bondybey . J. H. . English . J. Phys. Chem. . 1984 . 88 . 11 . 2247–2250 . 10.1021/j150655a014.