A novel purification method for copper sulfate using ethanol

This work presents a method for the purification of technical-grade copper sulfate by precipitation with ethanol. We demonstrate a selective separation to the desired purity level, leaving impurities in solution. The effects of altering the volume ratio of ethanol to copper sulfate solution, the solution pH, and the initial concentration of copper and acid type were investigated. In this sulfate-based solution, ethyl alcohol was shown to remove water ligands from the copper(II) cations, leading to the precipitation of copper as copper sulfate pentahydrate. The developed method allows for the utmost purification, and the product can be used in various applications where highly pure compounds are required. The applied method was proven to be simple, straightforward and environmentally friendly. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.