Product Code Database
Copper(II) sulfate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It forms , where n can range from 1 to 7. The pentahydrate ( n = 5), a bright blue crystal, is the most commonly encountered hydrate of copper(II) sulfate, while its anhydrous form is white. Older names for the pentahydrate include blue vitriol, bluestone, vitriol of copper,Antoine-François de Fourcroy, tr. by Robert Heron (1796) "Elements of Chemistry, and Natural History: To which is Prefixed the Philosophy of Chemistry". J. Murray and others, Edinburgh. Page 348. and Roman vitriol.Oxford University Press, "
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Roman vitriol", Oxford Living Dictionaries. Accessed on 2016-11-13 It exothermically dissolves in water to give the aquo complex , which has octahedral molecular geometry. The structure of the solid pentahydrate reveals a polymeric structure wherein copper is again octahedral but bound to four water ligands. The centers are interconnected by sulfate anions to form chains.
Commercial copper sulfate is usually about 98% pure copper sulfate, and may contain traces of water. Anhydrous copper sulfate is 39.81% copper and 60.19% sulfate by mass, and in its blue, hydrous form, it is 25.47% copper, 38.47% sulfate (12.82% sulfur) and 36.06% water by mass. Four types of crystal size are provided based on its usage: large crystals (10–40 mm), small crystals (2–10 mm), snow crystals (less than 2 mm), and windswept powder (less than 0.15 mm).
The chemistry of aqueous copper sulfate is simply that of copper aquo complex, since the sulfate is not bound to copper in such solutions. Thus, such solutions react with concentrated hydrochloric acid to give tetrachlorocuprate(II):
A further illustration of such single metal replacement reactions occurs when a piece of iron is submerged in a solution of copper sulfate:
Copper sulfate is commonly included in teenage and undergraduate experiments. It is often used to grow crystals in and in Copper electroplating experiments despite its toxicity. Copper sulfate is often used to demonstrate an exothermic reaction, in which steel wool or magnesium ribbon is placed in an aqueous solution of . It is used to demonstrate the principle of mineral hydration. The pentahydrate form, which is blue, is heated, turning the copper sulfate into the anhydrous form which is white, while the water that was present in the pentahydrate form evaporates. When water is then added to the anhydrous compound, it turns back into the pentahydrate form, regaining its blue color. Copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate can easily be produced by crystallization from solution as copper(II) sulfate, which is hygroscopic.
Bordeaux mixture, a suspension of copper(II) sulfate () and calcium hydroxide (), is used to control fungus on , , and other berries. It is produced by mixing a water solution of copper sulfate and a suspension of slaked lime.
A dilute solution of copper sulfate is used to treat aquarium fishes for parasitic infections, and is also used to remove snails from aquariums and Zebra mussel from water pipes. Copper ions are highly toxic to fish. Most species of algae can be controlled with very low concentrations of copper sulfate.
Copper sulfate is used to test blood for anemia. The blood is dropped into a solution of copper sulfate of known specific gravity—blood with sufficient hemoglobin sinks rapidly due to its density, whereas blood which sinks slowly or not at all has an insufficient amount of hemoglobin. Clinically relevant, however, modern laboratories utilize automated blood analyzers for accurate quantitative hemoglobin determinations, as opposed to older qualitative means.
In a flame test, the copper of copper sulfate emit a deep green light, a much deeper green than the flame test for barium.
Copper sulfate was once used to kill bromeliads, which serve as mosquito breeding sites. Copper sulfate is used as a molluscicide to treat bilharzia in tropical countries.
In electronic and microelectronic industry a bath of and sulfuric acid () is often used for Electroplating of copper. (2025). 9781461491767 ISBN 9781461491767
Copper(II) sulfate was used in the past as an emetic. It is now considered too toxic for this use. It is still listed as an antidote in the World Health Organization's Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System.
|
|
