Zinc nitrate is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula Zn(NO3)2. This colorless, crystalline salt is highly deliquescent. It is typically encountered as a hexahydrate Zn(NO3)2·6H2O. It is soluble in both water and alcohol.
Synthesis
Zinc nitrate is usually prepared by dissolving zinc metal, zinc oxide, or related materials in nitric acid:
- Zn + 2 HNO3 → Zn(NO3)2 + H2
- ZnO + 2 HNO3 → Zn(NO3)2 + H2O
These reactions are accompanied by the hydration of the zinc nitrate.
The anhydrous salt arises by the reaction of anhydrous zinc chloride with nitrogen dioxide:[1]
- ZnCl2 + 4 NO2 → Zn(NO3)2 + 2 NOCl
Reactions
Treatment of zinc nitrate with acetic anhydride gives zinc acetate.[2]
On heating, zinc nitrate undergoes thermal decomposition to form zinc oxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxygen:
- 2 Zn(NO3)2 → 2 ZnO + 4 NO2 + 1 O2
Applications
Zinc nitrate has no large scale application but is used on a laboratory scale for the synthesis of coordination polymers.[3] Its controlled decomposition to zinc oxide has also been used for the generation of various ZnO based structures, including nanowires.[4]
It can be used as a mordant in dyeing. An example reaction gives a precipitate of zinc carbonate:
References
- ^ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 455. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.
- ^ O. F. Wagenknecht; R. Juza (1963). "Zinc Acetate". In G. Brauer (ed.). Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. Vol. 2. NY, NY: Academic Press. p. 1087.
- ^ Barnett, Sarah A; Champness, Neil R (November 2003). "Structural diversity of building-blocks in coordination framework synthesis—combining M(NO3)2 junctions and bipyridyl ligands". Coordination Chemistry Reviews. 246 (1–2): 145–168. doi:10.1016/S0010-8545(03)00121-8.
- ^ Greene, Lori E.; Yuhas, Benjamin D.; Law, Matt; Zitoun, David; Yang, Peidong (September 2006). "Solution-Grown Zinc Oxide Nanowires". Inorganic Chemistry. 45 (19): 7535–7543. doi:10.1021/ic0601900. PMID 16961338.