Crystallisers

For this second reaction Kjgs = 181 x 10" and hence pK, for ammonia solution is 4.75. The entity NHj. H2O is often referred to as ammonium hydroxide, NH4OH, a formula which would imply that either nitrogen has a covalency of five, an impossible arrangement, or that NH4OH existed as the ions NH4 and OH". It is possible to crystallise two hydrates from concentrated ammonia solution but neither of these hydrates is ionic. Hence use of the term ammonium hydroxide is to be discouraged in favour of ammonia solution . 

The base strength of hydrazine is, however, lower than that of ammonia. As might be expected, hydrazine is readily soluble in water from which the hydrate N2H4.H2O can be crystallised. 

Evaporation and crystallisation of the sodium sulphite solution gives crystals of the heptahydrate NajSOj.THjO. However, on evaporation of the hydrogensulphite solution, the solid obtained is chiefly sodium pentaoxodisulphate(IV) ( metabisulphite ) Na2S20j, and contains little if any of the hydrogensulphite. However, the hydrogen sulphite ion is obtained when the solid redissolves in water ... 

Concentrated sulphuric acid has a strong affinity for water and great heat is evolved on mixing hence the acid must be added to water to dilute it. Because of this affinity, the acid can be used to dry gases with which it does not react, for example oxygen, chlorine, sulphur dioxide, and is used in desiccators. It will remove water of crystallisation from some compounds, for example... 

It may also be obtained by crystallising sodium sulphate from a dilute sulphuric acid solution ... 

A somewhat similar reaction is the power of sulphur oxide dichloride to remove water of crystallisation from hydrated chlorides, the hydroxyl groups of the water molecule reacting as do those in the acid molecules in the above reaction. 

This reaction is also used on a large scale, to obtain iodine from seaweed. The ash from burnt seaweed ( kelp ) is extracted with water, concentrated, and the salts other than iodides (sulphates and chlorides) crystallise out. The more soluble iodides remain and the liquor is mixed with sulphuric acid and manganese dioxide added the evolved iodine distils off and is condensed. 

Most iodine produced commercially comes from the sodium iodate(V) remaining after sodium nitrate has been crystallised from Chile saltpetre. The iodatefV) is first reduced to iodide by blowing sulphur dioxide into the solution (or by addition of sodium sulphite) ... 

If tetramethylammonium chloride is dissolved in hydrochloric acid, the unstable salt [(CH3)4N] [HClj], can be crystallised out here chlorine is showing weak hydrogen bonding (cf. F H—F which is stable, and Cl - H—Cl which is unstable). 

The stability of the halate(I) ion decreases, as expected, from C10 to 10 and only the chlorate(I) ion can be considered reasonably stable even in aqueous solution. Solid sodium bromate(I). NaBrO (with five or seven molecules of water of crystallisation) can be obtained, but on standing or warming it disproportionates ... 

Anhydrous titanium dioxide is only soluble with difficulty in hot concentrated sulphuric acid dilution allows the crystallisation of a sulphate of formula T10S04.H20, but it is doubtful if the titanyl cation TiO actually exists, either in solution or the solid. Certainly [TifHjOIn] does not exist, and solutions of titanyl salts may best be considered to contain ions [Ti(0H)2(H204)] . Titanium... 

Sodium sulphate crystallises out in hydrated form (common ion effect) and is filtered off on concentration, sodium dichromate is obtained. For analytical purposes, the potassium salt. K2Cr20-. is preferred potassium chloride is added and the less soluble potassium dichromate obtained. 

The dichromate ion oxidises iron(II) to iron(III), sulphite to sulphate ion, iodide ion to iodine and arsenic(III) to arsenic(V) (arsenate). Reduction of dichromate by sulphite can be used to prepare chrome alum, since, if sulphur dioxide is passed into potassium dichromate acidified with sulphuric acid, potassium and chromium(III) ions formed are in the correct ratio to form the alum, which appears on crystallisation ... 

Although the complex ion [MnClg] is unstable, salts such as K2[MnF6] (containing the octahedral hexafluoromanganate(IV) ion) are much more stable and can be crystallised from solution. 

Double salts of general formula M2SO4 -FeS04.6H2O (M = alkali metal or ammonium) can be obtained by crystallisation of solutions containing the appropriate proportions of the two simple salts ... 

Hydrated cobalt III) sulphate, Co2(S04)3. JSHjO is obtained when cobalt(II) sulphate is oxidised electrolytically in moderately concentrated sulphuric acid solution it is stable when dry but liberates oxygen from water. Some alums, for example KCo(S04)2.12H,0 can be obtained by crystallisation from sulphuric acid solutions. In these and the sulphate, the cation [CofHjO) ] may exist it is both acidic and strongly oxidising. 

Nickel forms yellow anhydrous halides NiXjlX = F. Cl. Br) and a black iodide Nil2 all these halides are made by direct combination of the elements, and the chloride by reaction of sulphur dichloride oxide with the hydrated salt. All dissolve in water to give green solutions from which the hydrates can be crystallised the solutions contain the ion [NifHjOls], and the chloride crystallises as NiCl2.6H2O, nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate. 

If nickel(II) cyanide, Ni(CN)2, is dissolved in excess potassium cyanide, the orange-red complex salt K2Ni(CN)4. HjO can be crystallised out this contains the stable square-planar [Ni(CN)4] anion. 

The anhydrous chloride is prepared by standard methods. It is readily soluble in water to give a blue-green solution from which the blue hydrated salt CuClj. 2H2O can be crystallised here, two water molecules replace two of the planar chlorine ligands in the structure given above. Addition of dilute hydrochloric acid to copper(II) hydroxide or carbonate also gives a blue-green solution of the chloride CuClj but addition of concentrated hydrochloric acid (or any source of chloride ion) produces a yellow solution due to formation of chloro-copper(ll) complexes (see below). 

Hg -F 8H-" -F 2N03" 3Hgi+ -F 2NO -F 4H2O From the acid solution white hydrated mercury(I) nitrate Hg2(N03)2.2H20 can be crystallised out this contains the ion... 

Originally, general methods of separation were based on small differences in the solubilities of their salts, for examples the nitrates, and a laborious series of fractional crystallisations had to be carried out to obtain the pure salts. In a few cases, individual lanthanides could be separated because they yielded oxidation states other than three. Thus the commonest lanthanide, cerium, exhibits oxidation states of h-3 and -t-4 hence oxidation of a mixture of lanthanide salts in alkaline solution with chlorine yields the soluble chlorates(I) of all the -1-3 lanthanides (which are not oxidised) but gives a precipitate of cerium(IV) hydroxide, Ce(OH)4, since this is too weak a base to form a chlorate(I). In some cases also, preferential reduction to the metal by sodium amalgam could be used to separate out individual lanthanides. 

The s)mthesis of zeolites is traditionally performed by crystallisation from a sol-gel mixture comprising reagents such as silica, sodium aluminate, sodium hydroxide and water. Another key component of the sol-gel mixture is a base whose main role is to regulate the pH of the mixture. If an organic base is used then a templating effect may also be observed... 

A) A solid substance has crystallised from a solution, and it is necessary to separate the crystals (i.e., the solute) from the cold mother-liquor by filtration. 

B) A hot solution has to be filtered to remove traces of insoluble impurities, and kept hot meanwhile to prevent crystallisation of the main solute, which would otherwise choke up the filter. 

Students are familiar with the general process of recrystallisa-tion from their more elementary inorganic work. Friefly, it consists in first finding a solvent which will dissolve the crude material readily when hot, but only to a small extent when cold. The crude substance is then dissolved in a minimum of the boiling solvent, the solution filtered if necessary to remove any insoluble impurities, and then cooled, when the solute will crystallise out, leaving the greater part of the impurities in solution. The crop of crystals is then filtered off, and the process repeated until the crystals are pure, and all impurities remain in the mother-liquor. 

Suppose that a given volume of the solvent when cold can dissolve 15 g. of A and 5 g. of B. If too g. of the crude product are dissolved in this volume of the hot solvent, and the solution allowed to cool, then (ignoring the small mutual effect on the solubility of each compound caused by the presence of the other) it is clear that 82 g. of A will crystallise, whilst the whole of B will remain in solution, since the latter is not saturated with respect to B. 

Carbon disulphide should never be used if any alternative solvent is available, as it has a dangerously low flash-point, and its vapours form exceedingly explosive mixtures with air. Ether as a solvent for recrystallisation is much safer than carbon disulphide, but again should be avoided whenever possible, partly on account of the danger of fires, and partly because the filtered solution tends to creep up the walls of the containing vessel and there deposit solid matter by complete evaporation instead of preferential crystallisation. 

Sometimes the crude substance may contain an insoluble impurity, and on cooling the solution it may be difficult to judge how much of the solid matter is merely undissolved impurity and how much is solute which has subsequently crystallised from solution. To avoid this difficulty, the hot solution should be filtered, and should thus always be absolutely clear before cooling is attempted. Therefore filter the hot solution into a clean tube through a very small fluted filter-paper contained in a correspondingly small glass funnel, which should have had its stem cut off as that shown in Fig. 6, p. 12 (and for the same reason). Unless the upper part of the filter is cut awav to reduce its size to a minimum, a large proportion of the solution will remain held mechanically in the pores of the paper itself and only a few drops of clear filtrate will be obtained. 

The hot filtered solution is then without delay poured into a lipped beaker or a conical flask not into an evaporating-basin, since it is crystallisation and not evaporation which is now required), the beaker covered with a watch-glass, and then cooled in ice-water. As cooling proceeds, the solution should be stirred from time to time to facilitate crystallisation, and when crystallisation appears complete, the cooling should be continued for at least another 15 minutes. 

When crystallisation is complete, the mixture of crystals and crude mother-liquor is filtered at the pump, again using a Buchner funnel and flask as described on p. 10, and the crystals remaining in the funnel are then pressed well down with a spatula whilst continual suction of the pump is applied, in order to drain the mother-liquor from the crystals as effectively as possible. If it has been found in the preliminary tests that the crystalline material is almost insoluble in the cold solvent, the crystals in the... 

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