Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Disposal of copper acetate

TriiodideFrog - 8-1-2021 at 03:19

Is there a proper guideline to dispose of copper acetate? Any ideas help.

outer_limits - 8-1-2021 at 03:59

How much of it do you have? You could at least try to get copper back by electrolysis or chemically

Fluorite - 8-1-2021 at 04:26

add sulfuric acid and distill acetic acid like nurdrage did with copper nitrate

itsallgoodjames - 8-1-2021 at 05:36

For copper (and most transition metals), I precipitate them out as their hydroxides, then store that. Plus you can use the copper hydroxide for making other copper salts.

TriiodideFrog - 8-1-2021 at 21:41

Ok thanks!

Sulaiman - 9-1-2021 at 01:36

eventually you will need to dispose of copper (and other metal) salts,
heavier metals should not enter any aquifer,
so need to go to landfill,
preferably as (almost) insoluble compounds such as sulphides.

minimise pollution but do not go to extremes as your small bit of polution is totally insignificant compared to other sources.
(e.g. copper is used in swimming pools as an algicide, pools have water changes)

macckone - 9-1-2021 at 15:18

copper is valuable enough to plate out or otherwise recover.

If you have metal salts the usual way to dispose of them is to render them insoluble.
For copper that would be converting to hydroxide by addition of sodium hydroxide.
You could also do the basic carbonate with sodium carbonate or bicarbonate.
Both will convert to the oxide on strong heating.
Copper oxide is practically insoluble, but it will dissolve in acids.

Romix - 12-9-2022 at 00:59

When I added baking soda to copper acetate, nothing dropped out of the solution...
Not tried adding KOH to Copper Acetate.
But I did to Tin Acetate and not much happened, I think tin went in complex with the base... not much of a grey and brown precipitate dropped out. But there were way more Tin than that.
And KOH with unreacted vinegar were exothermically heating up a lot and deformed plastic bottle I did experiment in.
I didn't have that much of heating dropping copper out of nitrates, but I know what I'm doing...
Once nearly melted a hole in my bath, hahaha :D :D :D


[Edited on 12-9-2022 by Romix]