Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Tetraamminecopper(II) Persulfate production.

scrubs2009 - 22-12-2014 at 12:06

Hello all, I am experimenting with various types of pyrotechnics and am attempting to make Tetraamminecopper(II) Persulfate. I already have the liquid Tetraamminecopper(II) Persulfate and I was wondering if it would be safe to boil it down instead of waiting for evaporation?

(For safety I am only making a very small amount, about 10ml)

deltaH - 22-12-2014 at 12:42

I wouldn't heat it as ammonium persulfate alone decomposes already at 120C according to wikipedia. The copper probably has a catalytic effect and might lower this decomposition temperature a lot. This is generic advice as I don't have any experience with the compound specifically.

What procedure did you use to prepare it?

DraconicAcid - 22-12-2014 at 12:52

What I'm fairly sure you have is not liquid tetramminecopper(II) persulphate, but aqueous tetramminecopper(II) persulphate. I'd just let it evaporate.

Oscilllator - 22-12-2014 at 15:30

I don't think boiling it down or letting it evaporate will result in you isolating any Tetraamminecopper(II) Persulfate. The ammonia ligands will just evaporate away in either case. You would be better off trying to precipitate it by adding ethanol to the solution, in the manner that Tetraamminecopper sulfate is isolated. It can also be obtained by evaporating under a stream of dry ammonia, but I doubt that's a viable option for you.

blargish - 22-12-2014 at 16:00

I just made some of this the other day.

You can precipitate out the tetraamminecopper(II) persulfate out by cooling the solution in your fridge to 0 degrees C. It forms nice needle-like crystals.

Also, be wary of decomposition during the drying of the compound, as it has a tendency to decompose if left out in the air for too long. However, if you keep an eye on it and store immediately once it dries, decomposition should be minimal to non-existent.

Here are some pics from my synth:

The solution prior to precipitation
IMG_2056.jpg - 137kB
The crystals left after cooling/decanting
IMG_2057.jpg - 185kB
Final product after drying
IMG_2068.jpg - 156kB

Oscilllator - 22-12-2014 at 19:35

Well done! I stand corrected

Velzee - 23-10-2015 at 16:11

How can this compound be synthesized?

Velzee - 5-11-2015 at 12:54

I managed to synthesize this compound. I also made an attempt to draw this compound's structure in ChemSketch ;) :


K1Q9BCj.jpg - 11kB