Síntesis microquímica y microelectroquímica de acetato de cobre(II) a partir de vinagre: Un ejemplo de química verde

Abstract

The synthesis of single crystals of copper(II) acetate, suitable for physical characterizations such as Electron Spin Resonance and X-ray diffraction, were obtained by four ways that involve chemical and electrochemical reactions, starting from in-house reagents and equipment (drinking water, vinegar, copper or bronze coins, a pencil lead, a piece of copper wire and a battery eliminator). Chemical synthesis was carried out by dropping vinegar on a bronze coin, whereas the electrochemical route involved the generation of Cu(OH)2 and/or CuO as intermediate products. Because both type of experiments can be carried out in microscale quantities and under mild conditions, they are recommended for green chemistry, electrochemistry, coordination chemistry or general chemistry laboratory courses, since the secondary to undergraduate educational levels. Thus, vinegar and a simple copper coin give us the opportunity to have the “citation classic” dimer Cu2(CH3CH2COO)4·2H2O handy.