- Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is an inorganic compound with fungicidal properties.
- It is distinguished from Copper Sulfate, which is amorphous and has a different melting point.
- Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate has various applications in the chemical, veterinary, medicine, feed, printing, and construction industries.
What is Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate?
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is an inorganic compound, a sulfate salt of copper in II oxidation state. It occurs naturally in the form of the mineral chalcanthite. It is also obtained synthetically by treating copper with hot concentrated sulfuric acid or copper oxides with dilute sulfuric acid.
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate has a characteristic blue color, nauseating metallic taste and is odorless. It is highly hygroscopic and has fungicidal properties. If you want to know more about this substance and its uses, be sure to read on!
Copper Sulfate vs Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is sometimes confused with Copper Sulfate, but they are different substances. The main difference between them is that Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is crystalline, while Copper Sulfate is amorphous.
Copper Sulfate is an inorganic compound that does not contain water molecules, which is why it is also called the anhydrous form of Copper Sulfate. It is a white powder. Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate on the other hand, is the most common hydrated form of Copper Sulfate and has a very characteristic blue color.
Another difference between Copper Sulfate and Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is their melting point. The melting point of Copper Sulfate is 110°C and it decomposes when heated further. Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate, on the other hand, decomposes before melting.
What is Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate used for?
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate may be used in:
- the chemical industry,
- veterinary,
- medicine,
- feed,
- printing,
- construction industry.
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is mainly used as an algaecide, fungicide and herbicide. As an algaecide it is applied in swimming pools and fish aquariums exposed to eutrophication. When Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is mixed with calcium hydroxide, it is used to control fungi on fruits such as melons or grapes. As a fungicide, it protects wood from fungal diseases. A mixture of Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate and ammonium carbonate, on the other hand, is used as a herbicide.
In chemistry, Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate finds its applications in laboratories as a reagent. It is used in Fehling’s solution and Benedict’s solution to test for reducing sugars. It is also a component of adhesives.
The fungicidal properties of Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate are also used by veterinarians. Preparations containing it are among the most effective means of preventing fungal diseases in cattle and horses.
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is also useful in medicine, especially in blood tests. Thanks to this substance it is possible to detect anemia. This works by dripping blood into a solution of Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate and finding that blood with enough hemoglobin sinks quickly due to its density, while blood that sinks slowly or not at all contains too little hemoglobin.
In animal feed Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is actively involved in blood formation and has a positive effect on weight gain in pigs and wool in sheep. It is also involved in the formation of the skeleton of the bone.
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is also used in printing. It is added to bookbinding pastes and adhesives. In this way, it protects the paper from insect attack. In the construction industry, Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate is an additive for concrete. It provides disinfecting properties and water resistance.
In addition, Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate can also be a coloring ingredient. It is used in the production of glass and pottery. It is also found in the manufacture of fireworks and gives them their blue color.
Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate in agriculture
Since Copper Sulfate Pentahydrate has excellent fungicidal properties, it is widely used in agriculture. It is used:
- in the preparation of Bordeaux and Burgundy mixtures, which are fungicides,
- in the preparation of insecticides,
- in the control of fungal diseases,
- in the correction of copper deficiency in soils,
- as a slugicide,
- in the preparation of other copper fungicides.
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