Process for producing a copper-containing aqueous solution, in which a copper mass is dissolved in the presence of air in an aqueous leach liquor containing monoethanolamine and an acid, wherein the amount of acid equivalents is between 0.05 and about 0.7 times the equivalents of monoethanolamine, and wherein the rate of copper dissolution into the aqueous leach liquor is greater than about 4.3 grams of copper per liter of leach liquor per hour until a product having at least about 80 grams per liter is obtaine.