Copper(II) phosphate are

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemi ...

s with the formula Cu₃(PO₄)₂. They can be regarded as the

cupric Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-or ...

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...

s of

phosphoric acid Phosphoric acid (orthophosphoric acid, monophosphoric acid or phosphoric(V) acid) is a colorless, odorless phosphorus-containing solid, and inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is commonly encountered as an 85% aqueous solutio ...

. Anhydrous copper(II) phosphate and a trihydrate are blue solids.

Preparation

Hydrated copper(II) phosphate precipitates upon addition of a solution of alkali metal phosphate to an aqueous solution of copper(II) sulfate. The anhydrous material can be produced by a high-temperature (1000 °C) reaction between

diammonium phosphate Diammonium phosphate (DAP; IUPAC name diammonium hydrogen phosphate; chemical formula (NH4)2(HPO4) is one of a series of water-soluble ammonium phosphate salts that can be produced when ammonia reacts with phosphoric acid. Solid diammonium phosp ...

and

copper(II) oxide Copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula CuO. A black solid, it is one of the two stable oxides of copper, the other being Cu2O or copper(I) oxide (cuprous oxide). As a mineral, it is known as tenorite. It ...

. : 2 (NH₄)₂HPO₄ + 3 CuO → Cu₃(PO₄)₂ + 3 H₂O + 4 NH₃ : :In laboratories, copper phosphate is prepared by the addition of

to an alkali copper salt. Such as copper hydroxide, or basic copper carbonate. : 3 Cu(OH)₂ + 2 H₃PO₄ → 6 H₂O + Cu₃(PO₄)₂ : 3 Cu₂(OH)₂CO₃ + 4 H₃PO₄ → 2 Cu₃(PO₄)₂ + 3 CO₂ + 9 H₂O

Uses

Copper(II) phosphate has many uses. Due to it being a copper metal salt it can be used as a fungicide, it works by denaturating proteins and enzymes in cells of pathogens. Many other copper salts, such as

copper sulfate Copper sulfate may refer to: * Copper(II) sulfate Copper(II) sulfate, also known as copper sulphate, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' can range from 1 to 7. The pentahydrate (''n'' = 5), a brigh ...

, are used as fungicides. Another use of copper(II) phosphate is as a fertilizer. Copper is one of the 16 essential elements required for plant growth. Copper(II) phosphate supplies the plant with both phosphorus and copper, which stimulates growth.

Structure

In terms of structure, copper(II) phosphates are

coordination polymer A coordination polymer is an inorganic or organometallic polymer structure containing metal cation centers linked by ligands. More formally a coordination polymer is a coordination compound with repeating coordination entities extending in 1, 2, ...

s, as is typical for most metal

phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...

s. The phosphate center is tetrahedral. In the anhydrous material, the copper centers are pentacoordinate. In the monohydrate, the copper adopts 6-, 5-, and 4-coordinate geometries.

Minerals

It is relatively commonly encountered as the hydrated species Cu₂(PO₄)OH, which is green and occurs naturally as the mineral

libethenite Libethenite is a rare copper phosphate hydroxide mineral. It forms striking, dark green orthorhombic crystals. It was discovered in 1823 in Ľubietová, Slovakia and is named after the German name of that locality (''Libethen''). Libethenite h ...

. Pseudomalachite, Cu₅(PO₄)₂(OH)₄, is the most common Cu phosphate in nature, typical for some oxidation zones of Cu ore deposits.Pseudomalachite on Mindat

References

External links

* Handbook of chemistry and physics http://www.hbcpnetbase.com/ Copper(II) compounds
Phosphates {{Inorganic-compound-stub