Copper nitrate

Copper(II) nitrate crystals

Description

Large green blue, deliquescent crystals. Copper nitrate is used to colorize metals. It gives a blackened, or antique, look to copper and turns zinc brown. Additionally it is used to brighten aluminum and burnish iron. Copper nitrate is used as a mordant and oxidizing agent in textile dyeing. It is used as a pigment for glass, enamels, and ceramics. Because of its toxicity, it is also used as a fungicide, and wood preservative.

Synonyms and Related Terms

copper (II) nitrate; cupric nitrate;

Risks

• Toxic by ingestion and inhalation.
• Skin contact causes irritation.
• Strongly oxidizing - contact with organic materials may cause combustion or explosion.
• ThermoFisher: SDS

Physical and Chemical Properties

• Composition = Cu(NO3)2 (mol. wt. = 187.56)
• CAS = 3521-23-8
• Melting Point = 255-256 C
• Density = 2.32 g/ml
• Soluble in water, ethyl acetate, dioxane, ether, ethanol.
• Deliquescent, orthorhombic crystals.

Resources and Citations

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
• Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979
• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 2710
• Wikipedia: Copper(II) nitrate Accessed March 2025