2633. Cupric Chloride

Nomenclature

CAS number: 7447-39-4
Copper chloride (CuCl2); copper(II) chloride.
Cl2Cu; mol wt 134.45.
Cl 52.74%, Cu 47.26%.
CuCl2.

Description and references

Prepn: Pray, Inorg. Synth. 5, 153 (1957); Gmelins, Copper (8th ed.) 60B, 253-295 (1958); Glemser, Sauer in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry vol. 2, G. Brauer, Ed. (Academic Press, New York, 2nd ed., 1965) p 1008.

Properties

Yellow to brown, deliquesc, hygroscopic microcryst powder. Partially dec above 300° to CuCl + Cl2. mp (extrapolated) 630°. mp of 498° usually reported for this compd is the melting pt of a mixture of CuCl2 and CuCl. d425 3.39. Corrosive. Forms the dihydrate in moist air. Sol in water, alc, acetone. Keep well closed.

Derivative

Dihydrate.

Nomenclature

CAS number: 10125-13-0
CuCl2.2H2O; mol wt 170.48.
Cu 37.27%, Cl 41.59%, H 2.36%, O 18.77%.

Properties

Green to blue powder or orthorhombic, bipyramidal crystals. Deliquesc in moist air, efflorescent in dry air. Water loss occurs from 70-200°: Bell, Coultard, J. Chem. Soc. A 1968, 1417. mp ≈100°; d 2.51. Freely sol in water, methanol, ethanol; moderately sol in acetone, ethyl acetate; slightly sol in ether. The aq soln is acid to litmus; pH of 0.2 molar soln 3.6.

Caution

Potential symptoms of overexposure may include irritation of skin, eyes, and respiratory tract.

Use

As catalyst for organic and inorganic reactions; in petroleum industry as deodorizing, desulfurizing, and purifying agent; as mordant for dyeing and printing textiles; as oxidizing agent for aniline dyestuffs; in indelible, invisible and laundry-marking inks; in metallurgy in wet process for recovering mercury from ores, in refining Cu, Ag, Au; in tinting-baths for Fe, Sn; in electrotyping baths for plating Cu on Al; in analytical chemistry for testing for Mo; in photography as a fixer, desensitizer and reagent; in producing color in pyrotechnic compositions; in manuf of acrylonitrile, fast black (melanin); in pigments for glass, ceramics; as feed-additive, wood preservative, disinfectant.