Iron(II) acetate describes compounds with formula where x can be 0 (anhydrous) or 4 (tetrahydrate). The anhydrous compound is a white solid, although impure samples can be slightly colored. The

tetrahydrate In chemistry, a hydrate is a substance that contains water or its constituent elements. The chemical state of the water varies widely between different classes of hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understo ...

is light green solid that is highly soluble in water.

Preparation and structure

Iron powder reacts with

acetic acid Acetic acid , systematically named ethanoic acid , is an acidic, colourless liquid and organic compound with the chemical formula (also written as , , or ). Vinegar is at least 4% acetic acid by volume, making acetic acid the main compone ...

to give the ferrous acetate, with evolution of hydrogen gas: :Fe + 2 CH₃CO₂H → Fe(CH₃CO₂)₂ + H₂ Reaction of scrap iron with acetic acid affords a brown mixture of various iron(II) and iron(III) acetates that are used in dyeing. It can also be made from the insoluble, olive green,

Iron(II) carbonate Iron(II) carbonate, or ferrous carbonate, is a chemical compound with formula , that occurs naturally as the mineral siderite. At ordinary ambient temperatures, it is a green-brown ionic solid consisting of iron(II) cations and carbonate anion ...

. It adopts a polymeric structure with

octahedral In geometry, an octahedron (: octahedra or octahedrons) is any polyhedron with eight faces. One special case is the regular octahedron, a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at each vertex. Many types of i ...

Fe(II) centers interconnected by acetate ligands. It is a

coordination polymer Coordination may refer to: * Coordination (linguistics), a compound grammatical construction * Coordination complex, consisting of a central atom or ion and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions ** A chemical reaction to form a coordinat ...

Uses

Ferrous acetate is used as a

mordant A mordant or dye fixative is a substance used to set (i.e., bind) dyes on fabrics. It does this by forming a coordination complex with the dye, which then attaches to the fabric (or tissue). It may be used for dyeing fabrics or for intensifying ...

by the

dye Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French musician. He is known for the music video of the single "Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical ele ...

industry. Ebonizing wood is one such process.Ebonizing Wood with Ferric Acetate
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References

{{Acetates Acetates Iron(II) compounds