Hexaaminenickel(II) Chloride
Here I synthesize a really interesting compound of nickel, with the longest name of any chemical I've made so far! I'll probably be posting how I made my NiCl2 and ammonia solutions in other videos as well, if there's interest. Hexaaminenickel(II) chloride is a complex of nickel with ammonia, and is fairly simple to synthesize. A concentrated solution of nickel(II) chloride is combined with fairly concentrated ammonia to form a deep blue complex while it is in solution. To isolate it in its solid form, acetone is added to reduce the overall polarity of the solution and thus render the complex nearly insoluble. It drops out immediately as a lavender precipitate. Nickel(II) chloride exists in solution and solid form as the hexahydrate - with 6 water molecules associated with it. In solution, the water molecules surround the nickel atom to form the positive cation, and chloride atoms are dissociated as anions. The reaction with ammonia is a simple substitution where the water molecules are replaced with ammonia molecules: [Ni(H2O)6]Cl2 + 6NH3 == [Ni(NH3)6]Cl2 + 6H2O Filtering this precipitate was a breeze - it settles extremely quickly, and since the solution is mostly acetone it evaporates very fast. This was probably the most pleasant filtering experience I've had! I really enjoyed this synthesis, though I don't really have a use for the product. It'll just be something pretty I can put on my shelf, and add to my list of accomplishments!
Here I synthesize a really interesting compound of nickel, with the longest name of any chemical I've made so far! I'll probably be posting how I made my NiCl2 and ammonia solutions in other videos as well, if there's interest. Hexaaminenickel(II) chloride is a complex of nickel with ammonia, and is fairly simple to synthesize. A concentrated solution of nickel(II) chloride is combined with fairly concentrated ammonia to form a deep blue complex while it is in solution. To isolate it in its solid form, acetone is added to reduce the overall polarity of the solution and thus render the complex nearly insoluble. It drops out immediately as a lavender precipitate. Nickel(II) chloride exists in solution and solid form as the hexahydrate - with 6 water molecules associated with it. In solution, the water molecules surround the nickel atom to form the positive cation, and chloride atoms are dissociated as anions. The reaction with ammonia is a simple substitution where the water molecules are replaced with ammonia molecules: [Ni(H2O)6]Cl2 + 6NH3 == [Ni(NH3)6]Cl2 + 6H2O Filtering this precipitate was a breeze - it settles extremely quickly, and since the solution is mostly acetone it evaporates very fast. This was probably the most pleasant filtering experience I've had! I really enjoyed this synthesis, though I don't really have a use for the product. It'll just be something pretty I can put on my shelf, and add to my list of accomplishments!