Chemistry!

[student612]

Hi,

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction please? Copper hydroxide I know can't be dried - why can't it be dried and what changes take place if left out to dry?

 

Cheers

[John Cuthber]

What do you think might happen?

[student612]

Does it form a gas when left out to dry? Or does the copper dissapear.

 

It turns black in colour due to copper oxide forming? I'm useless!

[hypervalent_iodine]

Hi,

 

Can anyone point me in the right direction please? Copper hydroxide I know can't be dried - why can't it be dried and what changes take place if left out to dry?

 

Cheers

 

Could I get some clarification as to what you're calling dry? To me, it means you are after anhydrous Cu(OH)₂, which I was under the impression was not impossible (I may be mistaken in that). Removing water from a compound in the manner I think you are suggesting doesn't fully work on account of there being water in the atmosphere. Usually, if you were completely drying something out it would imply the use of vacuum and / or elevated temperatures.

 

Or does the copper dissapear.

 

Definitely not.

 

It turns black in colour due to copper oxide forming?

 

If you leave it open to atmosphere, then yes, it will decompose to give this. The question now is do you understand why leaving it open to atmosphere will do this? It's all well and good telling you that you're correct, but it amounts to nothing if you were simply throwing answers out with no real logic behind why you chose them.

 

I'm useless!

 

Hardly. There's nothing wrong with asking questions if you don't understand something.