The smallest unit of copper that still maintains the characteristics of copper is an atom.
The Smallest Unit of Copper
The smallest unit of copper that still maintains the characteristics of copper is called an atom.
Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter, and each element is made up of its own unique type of atom. In the case of copper, the atom has the chemical symbol Cu and the atomic number 29.
Atoms are incredibly small.
To give you an idea of the size of an atom, a single copper penny contains approximately 3 x 10^22 copper atoms.
Each of these atoms has the same chemical properties, allowing them to exhibit the characteristic properties of copper, such as high thermal and electrical conductivity.