How to Convert Zinc Oxide to Zinc Chloride
Zinc (ZnO) is a white powder at room temperature that is almost insoluble in water. It's an inorganic compound that is used to make many products such as cement, ceramics, glass, plastics and rubber. Zinc chloride (ZnCl2) is most often used as flux for soldering and is also a common reagent in industrial chemistry. Zinc chloride can be prepared commercially from zinc and it can also be obtained from zinc compounds in the laboratory.
Instructions
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1
Define zinc oxide as ZnO. Some metals will combine with different numbers of oxygen atoms, meaning that a metal oxide can actually refer to more than one compound. Zinc normally combines with only one oxygen atom, so the term "zinc oxide" refers specifically to one compound (ZnO).
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2
Mix the reagents. The reagents are zinc oxide and hydrochloric acid (HCl), which you can readily obtain from a chemical supplier. Place the zinc oxide power into a container of hydrochloric acid.
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3
Observe the reaction. Unlike many other chemical reactions, zinc oxide and hydrochloric acid react readily under standard conditions and do not require a catalyst.
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4
Examine the reaction that converts zinc oxide to zinc chloride. This is shown with the following equation: ZnO + 2 HCl ' ZnCl2 + H2O. The oxygen atom from the zinc oxide combines from the hydrogen of two HCl molecules to form water. The zinc atom then combines with the two chloride atoms to form zinc chloride.
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5
Purify commercial samples of zinc chloride. The reaction in Step 4 typically produces other products besides zinc chloride. The sample is typically purified by extracting it into hot dioxane, filtering it while it is still hot and allowing the precipitate to cool.
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