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| Copper(II) nitrate | |
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| IUPAC name | Copper(II) nitrate |
| Other names | Cupric nitrate |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | 3251-23-8 |
| RTECS number | GL7875000 |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | CuNO4 |
| Molar mass | 187.57 g/mol, 241.60 (Cu(NO3)2.3H2O), 232.59 (Cu(NO3)2.2.5H2O |
| Appearance | blue crystals |
| Density | 2.32 g/cm3 (anhydrous) |
| Melting point |
114.5 °C (trihydrate) |
| Boiling point |
170 °C (decomposition) |
| Solubility in water | 138 g/100 mL (0 °C) trihydrate |
| Hazards | |
| MSDS | Cu(NO3)2.3H2O |
| Main hazards | Toxic, irritant |
| NFPA 704 |
 0
2
0
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| R-phrases | R22 R36/37/38 R48/20/21/22 R66 |
| Related compounds | |
| Related compounds | CuSO4, copper(II) sulfate |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox references |
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Copper(II) nitrate is the chemical compound with the formula Cu(NO3)2. Commonly referred to simply as copper nitrate, the anhydrous form is a blue, crystalline solid. Hydrated forms of copper nitrate, also blue, are commonly used in school laboratories to demonstrate chemical voltaic cell reactions. The Roman numeral sign is to specify that the copper has an oxidation state of +2.
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Structure and properties
The hydrated and anhydrous species have remarkably different properties, illustrating the effect of water of crystallization.
Anhydrous form
The bright blue anhydrous material, Cu(NO3)2, is a volatile solid, subliming in a vacuum. In the gas-phase, Cu(NO3)2 is square planar, each Cu center being surrounded by four oxygen atoms. Upon condensation, this monomer polymerizes.1
-nitrate-monomer-2D-dimensions.png) -nitrate-monomer-3D-balls.png) |
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Hydrated copper nitrate
Crystalline Cu(NO3)2(H2O)2.5 features octahedral Cu centers surrounded by water and the nitrate anions.1 This hydrate decomposes at ca. 170 °C into copper(II) oxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxygen:
- 2 Cu(NO3)2 → 2 CuO + 4 NO2 + O2
Synthesis and reactions
Cu(NO3)2 forms when copper metal is treated with N2O4:3
- Cu + 2 N2O4 → Cu(NO3)2 + 2 NO
Hydrated copper nitrate can be prepared by hydrolysis of the anhydrous material or by treating copper metal with an aqueous solution of silver nitrate or dilute nitric acid:
- Cu + 4 HNO3 → Cu(NO3)2 + 2 H2O + 2 NO2
Copper nitrate can be used to generate nitric acid by heating it until decomposition and passing the fumes directly into water. This method is similar to the last step in the Ostwald process. The equations are as follows:
- 2 Cu(NO3)2 → 2 CuO + 4 NO2 + O2
- 3NO2 + H2O → 2HNO3 + NO
Use in organic synthesis
Copper nitrate, in combination with acetic anhydride, is an effective reagent for nitration of aromatic compounds, under what are known as "Menke conditions", in honor of the Dutch chemist who discovered that metal nitrates are effective reagents for nitration.4 Hydrated copper nitrate absorbed onto clay affords a reagent called "Claycop". The resulting blue-colored clay is used as a slurry, for example for the oxidation of thiols to disulfides. Claycop is also used to convert dithioacetals to carbonyls.5 A related reagent based on Montmorillonite has proven useful for the nitration of aromatic compounds.6
References
- ^ a b Wells, A.F. Structural Inorganic Chemistry, Oxford: Clarendon Press (1984). ISBN 0-19-855370-6.
- ^ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, A. (1997), Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.), Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, ISBN 0-7506-3365-4
- ^ Jolly, W. L. "The Synthesis and Characterization of Inorganic Compounds" Prentice Hall, London, 1970
- ^ Menke J.B. (1925). "Nitration with nitrates". Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Payes-Bas 44: 141.
- ^ Balogh, M. "Copper(II) Nitrate–K10 Bentonite Clay" in Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis (Ed: L. Paquette) 2004, J. Wiley & Sons, New York. DOI: 10.1002/047084289.
- ^ Collet, C.; Delville, A.; Laszlo, P. “Clays Direct Aromatic Nitration” Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English, 2003, Volume 29, Issue 5 , Pages 535 - 536. doi:10.1002/anie.199005351.
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- This page was last modified on 16 November 2008, at 20:58.
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