Terminus_Est
Harmless
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Registered: 9-10-2012
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What do I get when I add some copper to a mixture of bleach and vinegar?
I know it may sound a bit insane but today I mixed some vinegar and bleach together in a plastic bottle and then added a strip of copper into it. I
did this outside of course due to toxic chlorine gas that is formed and I also cracked the lid a bit to allow some of the gases to escape.
But anyway I waited a while and my solution was filled with a foggy greenish blue substance with some light green precipitate at the bottom. I've read
that bleach and vinegar mixed together form sodium acetate and hypochlorous acid, which then breaks down into chlorine, water, and oxygen. Is this
right? And if I add in copper, what exactly do I get mainly? Copper hydroxide? Or a mixture of copper hydroxide, copper acetate, and some copper
chloride?
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plante1999
International Hazard
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I espect Dicopper chloride trihydroxide to form.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicopper_chloride_trihydroxide
I say that because when I started chemistry I tried to make copper hypochlorite, but I got dicopper chloride trihydroxide. First copper ion when
copper react with Chlorine or hypochlorous acid form and then they react with the hypochlorite to make the compound.
I never asked for this.
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AJKOER
Radically Dubious
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I agree with Plante1999 opinion that the salt is Cu2(OH)3Cl. Be careful on disposal as it is a powerful fungicide and very toxic to fish and small
animals as well (as our many copper salts).
With the exception of Na, K, Li and Mg, other metal hypochlorites are generally unstable. For example, Aluminum hypochlorite decomposes on bleaching
releasing Al(OH)3 (actually deposits in the fabric being bleached). Iron hypochlorite is either extremely unstable (to FeCl3) or non-existent. Lead
hypochlorite apparently exists but on heating decomposes into PbO2. I suspect Copper hypochlorite also exists but is unstable on standing and/or
heating, breaking down into the Copper (II) Oxychloride (also called Dicopper chloride trihydroxide) . Silver hypochlorite rapidly decomposes into
AgCl and AgClO3 on standing with the chlorate only stable in the presence of excess Ag2O.
While hypochlorites are unstable, stabilizers have been patented. These include silicate ions and periodate ion (salts included are sodium, potassium
or ammonium periodate). See, for example, Patent US 4,065,545 (http://www.google.com/patents/US4065545 )
[Edited on 22-10-2012 by AJKOER]
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