Copper nitrate

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

• Soluble in water, ethyl acetate, dioxane, ether, ethanol.
• Deliquescent, orthorhombic crystals.

Composition	Cu(NO3)2
CAS	3521-23-8
Melting Point	255-256 C
Density	2.32 g/ml
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 187.56

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