Copper sulfate is an all-natural, odorless, inorganic salt. It's a common reagent in high school and college chemistry experiments, where it's used to demonstrate important concepts such as electrolysis and oxidation-reduction reactions. Copper sulfate is usually stored in either the anhydrous form or the pentahydrate form. The anhydrous form is a pale gray powder. It's not widely available. The pentahydrate form is more commonly encountered. It appears as small blue crystals. Both forms can be hydrated by mixing them with water to create a metal aquo complex.
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
- Ceramic or glass bowl
- Distilled water
- Copper sulfate
- Spoon
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Instructions
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1
Wearing your safety goggles and gloves, pour 2-3 ounces of distilled water into the bowl.
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2
Using the spoon, measure out a small amount (a little less than a teaspoon) of copper sulfate crystals or powder. Set it aside.
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3
Carefully add the copper sulfate to the water. The crystals should be added slowly, little by little, with gentle stirring in between. The copper sulfate will dissolve rapidly and turn the water bright blue, creating the acidic, metal aquo complex used in experiments.
