I have a solution of copper sulfate dissolved in water.
I would prefer to have the copper sulfate as crystals rather than a solution.
To a small amount of the solution I added Acetone.
When an amount of acetone that is slighty greater than the originally liquid is added to the solution and stirred blue crystals fall out of the
solution, and the liquid becomes colourless.
The question I have, is there by any chance a reaction happening between the copper sulfate and acetone ?
(I tend to think not, but thought I should check before doing this to the entire bottle.)
Thanks
P.S The blue crystals that do fall out of the solution once allowed to air dry for 10 minutes will have happliy dissolve back in to water, to form a
blue solution.
hkparker - 16-1-2011 at 00:17
The acetone is dissolving in water. When that happens it sounds like it is causing the copper sulfate to precipitate as it pulls the water off the
dissolved copper sulfate.cokezero - 16-1-2011 at 00:45
Yes, that is what I thought would be occuring.
Thanks for your thoughtshkparker - 16-1-2011 at 00:48
Does the color of the blue change afterwards. I doubt it, but its possible the copper sulfate reacts with acetone to make copper acetate and sulfuric
acid. But if the dry crystals are the same color before and after that's not what's happening. Copper acetate is a much lighter blue.cokezero - 16-1-2011 at 02:49
I could check the ph of the colourless solution if sulfuric acid was being produced???
It could be a lighter colour, I am not the best with colours =/unionised - 16-1-2011 at 05:03
Does the color of the blue change afterwards. I doubt it, but its possible the copper sulfate reacts with acetone to make copper acetate and sulfuric
acid. But if the dry crystals are the same color before and after that's not what's happening. Copper acetate is a much lighter blue.
Acetone - acetate?
Where does the other carbon atom go?bbartlog - 16-1-2011 at 06:01
Copper sulfate is slightly acidic and if it actually dissolved in the acetone, I would expect that leaving it to stand for a few weeks might result in
some condensation products. But, first of all, it doesn't sound like it's soluble; and second of all, such a reaction should take a long time at RT
(takes days even with HCl). bfesser - 16-1-2011 at 06:19
Just boil the aqueous CuSO4 down until you get crystals. It's easier and you'll get a higher purity product.peach - 16-1-2011 at 06:57
If you're after bigger crystals, you can let the water evaporate off slowly at room temperature. While you're at it with the copper sulphate, have a
practice at filtering and recrystallising it, see how clean you can get the result.
These need that doing to them.
Can YOU spot the crystals?
These have been sat up there for months, but they'll be forming in days to weeks if left on the boiler, depends how much spare water you're
starting with. This is the rare and reclusive 'chemistria mushroomius'. I put a filter paper over the top to keep the brick and plasterboard dust
out.
I was growing these for a bit of fun. I remembered my inogranics teacher having a foot wide crystal of something in the lab, which he'd been
dunking for years and years, and thought..... that'd be neat to have. He must have got a big bag of the salt from somewhere for free. I think the
copper for these came from the wire in a guitar lead. It's best to use slightly too little sulphuric so you end up with a few bits of copper left in
there, then pick / filter them out. Sulphuric won't evaporate off unless you bake it off over 300C, which is not all that fun - the kitchen oven won't
get hot enough, you'd rot the jesus out of it did and there'll be plumes of sulphuric floating around in the air.
[Edited on 16-1-2011 by peach]bquirky - 16-1-2011 at 07:32
I love your lego Mill !!The WiZard is In - 16-1-2011 at 08:29
If you're after bigger crystals, you can let the water evaporate off slowly at room temperature. While you're at it with the copper sulphate, have a
practice at filter and recrystallising it, see how clean you can get them.
You can buy copper sulphate in a plumbing or home (Lowies/Home
Depot perhaps) as Root killer.
I recommend —
Holden and Singer
Crystals and Crystal Growing
Anchor Books 1960
You can find used copies for US $1.00 +postage. peach - 16-1-2011 at 09:22
Mark 1 of the Legionia ball milling facility went into forced closure after OSHA received scandalous complaints regarding gross failures in the plants
health and safety standards, not limited to; hazardous connection to the grid, off permit dumping of toxic materials & routine physical abuse of
the staff.
The core of the mill is a glass medicine bottle loaded with glass marbles. The cap can be lined with PTFE.
You can buy copper sulphate in a plumbing or home (Lowies/Home
Depot perhaps) as Root killer.
I recommend —
Holden and Singer
Crystals and Crystal Growing
Anchor Books 1960
I'm not sure how easily available that would be now in the UK (off the shelf) without things added to it. They seem to be removing most of the raw
chemicals from the shelves, or adding things to them that will make it difficult to yield pure material.
I'm also kinked enough to occasionally enjoy the pleasure of struggling a little for things. It's very satisfying to have memories come back when
picking up a bottle of something.
Anyhoo, there's big bags of the stuff on eBay here, I simply felt like making my own at the time.
I will have to start having a look at crystal growing. I've spent a lot of time learning about semiconductor crystal work (having chats with staff
about molecular beam epitaxy and quantum devices), but my only at home attempts at crystal decoration have been those crystal trees kids you get as a
kid.
Which don't work.
Much akin to the 'grow your own mushroom' boxes you can get at the superstores, that yield five fairly normal mushrooms and a box of dirt at a tenner
a go.
[Edited on 16-1-2011 by peach]cokezero - 16-1-2011 at 13:55
Quote:
Copper sulfate is slightly acidic and if it actually dissolved in the acetone, I would expect that leaving it to stand for a few weeks might result in
some condensation products. But, first of all, it doesn't sound like it's soluble; and second of all, such a reaction should take a long time at RT
(takes days even with HCl).
So it is probably unlikely in the space of ten minutes the copper sulfate is is reacting with the acetone.
Quote:
Just boil the aqueous CuSO4 down until you get crystals. It's easier and you'll get a higher purity product.
Yes, that is option although it does take somewhat longer.
smaerd - 16-1-2011 at 14:03
CuSO4 is also available at pottery stores in a fairly good purity .hkparker - 16-1-2011 at 14:07
I got mine as root killer from ace and it was greatScienceSquirrel - 16-1-2011 at 14:36
Good quality copper sulphate is readily available off eBay and elsewhere in the UK.
It is used for all sort of things like home made organic fungicides.
It is not very toxic, not of much use in making improvised explosives or anything illegal, so I would guess that it will remain readily available in
the future.cokezero - 16-1-2011 at 14:43
It is not a problem to buy.
The question I have is when you add acetone to a copper sulfate solution, the crystals that fall out of the solution are they still copper sulfate or
has a chemical reaction occured between the acetone and copper sulfate converting the copper sulfate to something else?ScienceSquirrel - 16-1-2011 at 14:54
It is almost certainly a copper sulphate hydrate salting out.
Probably the pentahydrate with some occluded acetone / water.
It depends on concentration and temperature on the exact hydrate formed but I would bet on a hydrate as water is a lot stronger Lewis basis than
acetone.ScienceSquirrel - 16-1-2011 at 14:56
.