Yttrium oxalate is an
inorganic compound
An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bondsthat is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as ''inorganic chemistry''.
Inorgan ...
, a salt of
yttrium
Yttrium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Y and atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides and has often been classified as a "rare-earth element". Yttrium is almost a ...
and
oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and chemical formula , also written as or or . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name i ...
with the chemical formula Y(CO).
The compound does not dissolve in water and forms crystalline hydrates—colorless crystals.
Synthesis
Precipitation of soluble yttrium salts with
oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and chemical formula , also written as or or . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name i ...
:
::
Properties
Yttrium oxalate is highly insoluble in water and converts to the oxide when heated.
Yttrium oxalate forms crystalline hydrates (colorless crystals) with the formula Y(CO)•''n'' HO, where n = 4, 9, and 10.
Decomposes when heated:
::
The solubility product of yttrium oxalate at 25 °C is 5.1 × 10
−30.
The trihydrate Y(CO)•3HO is formed by heating more hydrated varieties at 110 °C.
Y(CO)•2HO, which is formed by heating the decahydrate at 210 °C) forms monoclinic crystals with unit cell dimensions a=9.3811 Å, b=11.638 Å, c=5.9726 Å, β=96.079°.
Related
Several yttrium oxalate
double salts
A double salt is a salt that contains two or more different cations or anions. Examples of double salts include alums (with the general formula ) and Tutton's salts (with the general formula ). Other examples include potassium sodium tartrate, a ...
are known containing additional cations. Also a mixed-anion compound with carbonate is known.
References
{{Oxalates
Inorganic compounds
Yttrium compounds
Oxalates