Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Copper(II) Acetate precipitation?

bigtrevs98 - 15-4-2015 at 13:47

So is there some way to precipitate/remove the copper out of Copper(II) Acetate to make pure Peracetic Acid? Could you give me all the different ways?(if more than one?)

[Edited on 15-4-2015 by bigtrevs98]

DraconicAcid - 15-4-2015 at 13:51

If you wanted pure acetic acid from copper(II) acetate, I'd add strong sulphuric acid and distill. Peracetic acid, on the other hand....

bigtrevs98 - 16-4-2015 at 05:37

So another question about copper acetate... when using completely clean copper pennies to make Copper(II)dAcetate. The solution has yellowish looking crystals that look black when in a dense group can someone tell me what this is? Is it just left over copper?

Amos - 16-4-2015 at 07:48

What do you mean "clean copper pennies"? If you're in the U.S., any pennies made after 1982 are only coated with copper, and the rest is zinc. Even those made before 1982 still contain at least 5 percent zinc.

You should also mention the method by which you're trying to produce copper(II) acetate from these pennies; we can't tell you what you're dealing unless you tell us what you're doing.

Bert - 16-4-2015 at 07:51

For a start, electrical wire is electrolytically refined, about the purest source of easily available Copper.

Amos - 16-4-2015 at 08:09

But since your question is about "removing copper" from copper(II) acetate to somehow produce peracetic acid, no, I don't think that is at all possible. If you want peracetic acid, generate it in solution with acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide. What do you need peracetic acid for, anyway?

bigtrevs98 - 16-4-2015 at 12:37

I have no use Amos just for educational and fun reasons. Okay. I take a 60mL of 5% acetic acid and 60mL of 3% Hydrogen peroxide. I mix the two and put in 5 New pennies (Post 1982 pennies completely clean) in the solution. I wait a bit... solution turns blue and the copper plating starts turning black. I see little black/yellow specks in the bottom of the solution. Cant get a good quality picture or u would. What are the little black/yellow specks. I don't care about my original question

[Edited on 16-4-2015 by bigtrevs98]

[Edited on 17-4-2015 by bigtrevs98]

aga - 16-4-2015 at 14:09

From experience, it is best to set yourself a Target, such as glacial acetic acid from pennies and vinegar, or even peracetic, gold, moonshine, whichever.

Then try to get from the start to the finish without changing your Target.

You'll learn more that way.

You will have more idea what the black/yellow specs are than any of us, as we have absolutely no idea what the pennies, vinegar, environment or reaction vessel looked like before the experiment.

hyfalcon - 16-4-2015 at 14:13

Those pennies are mostly zinc. You need pre-1982 pennies for 90/10 copper/zinc alloy pennies. As Bert said previously, if you need PURE, or mostly so, copper, use copper wire.

Amos - 16-4-2015 at 19:35

What you could be witnessing is very small particles of copper, copper(I) oxide, or copper(II) oxide that has flaked off from the outer surface of the pennies during this reaction. Copper metal itself can take on a variety of different colors depending on particle size and other factors.