SnailsAttack - 22-8-2023 at 23:45
Are there any resources available with 'stoichiometric proofs' for the chemical formulas of various inorganic compounds?
As an example of what I mean, are there primary source studies proving that copper forms a basic carbonate (Cu₂(OH)₂CO₃) instead of a regular
one (CuCO₃) or a hydrate (CuCO₃·xH₂O)?
This could be accomplished through fairly simple gravimetric studies, but I would rather not spend time doing the experiments myself for every
compound that the literature suggests to be unusual, such as the oxy/hydroxides of iron (FeO(OH) vs Fe(OH)₃ vs FeO(OH)·H₂O) and aluminum (AlO(OH)
vs Al(OH)₃).
Additionally, information on compounds with formulas that vary depending on local conditions would be very useful, for instance malachite
(Cu₂(OH)₂CO₃), azurite (Cu₃(OH)₂(CO₃)₂) and possible others (Cu₃(OH)₄(CO₃)₂, Cu₂(OH)₂O, Cu₂CO₃O, etc, and hydrates
thereof).
unionised - 23-8-2023 at 04:43
There are "libraries" of X-ray diffraction patterns.
j_sum1 - 23-8-2023 at 19:30
Xray crystallography seems to be the answer to your question rather than stoichiometry.
These give crystal structure, interatomic distances and positions within the repeating crystal cell.
The math is quite complex and interpreting diffraction patterns for anything more than simple crystal structures is a bit of a dog to do.
It is one of those things that, once it has been determined, there is little need to revisit. I find the reported compound formulas and the crystal
diagrams on wikipedia to be more than enough information for me in most situations.