Copper Chloride

Description

Cop­per chlo­ride can be bi­va­lent, with the for­mu­la Cu­Cl₂, and mono­va­lent, with the for­mu­la CuCl. Nat­u­ral­ly, be­cause of their dif­fer­ent quan­ti­ta­tive com­po­si­tion, they have dif­fer­ent prop­er­ties and fields of ap­pli­ca­tion.

Application

Copper(II) chloride may be used in the preparation of copper(II)-chitosan complexes with potential applications in biomedical devices as antibiotic-free antibacterial biomaterials due to their cytocompatibility and antibacterial property.

Effective catalyst for the tetrahydropyranylation of alcohols, using mild conditions and in high yields.

Used with palladium in a catalytic synthesis of 3-haloindoles via an annulation process.

General Description

Copper (II) chloride is also called Cupric chloride, or Copper dichloride, or Cupric dichloride. Copper dichloride occurs naturally as an anhydrous mineral called tolbachite and dehydrated eriochalcite. Both are mostly obtained from fumaroles areas.
Cupric chloride, in its anhydrous form, appears as a yellowish-brown powder whereas in its dihydrate form it appears as a green crystalline solid. It is corrosive to aluminium and the oxidation state of the metal is +2. It is widely used in printing, dyeing, as a wood preservative and in fungicides.

Health Hazard

Inhaling cupric dichloride causes sneezing and coughing. Swallowing it causes vomiting and pain. When liquid comes in contact with eyes and skin, it causes irritation in eyes and on the skin. It is non-combustible but when heated, it liberates irritating hydrogen chloride gas.