Why Gred?

More Chemistry in the Student Synthesis of

~ris(ethylenediamine)cobalt(lll)Chloride
Each year in i m r inorganic laboratory course a number of students ohrain n green product d u r i n ~their attempted rynthesis of tri~~ethylenediaminc~cubaIt~IIIJ
chloride following our rnrlier directions.' The green compound, on mixing with
water. gives the f m d i a r yellow color of [he desired complex. Addrng either HCI or ethanol rehrms the "unkmwn"green
substance. There may be some correlation between the number of students obtaining the green and the age of the hydrogen
peroxide (or possibility of contaminants present in it) used in the experiment, with more "failures" occurring later in the
week.
These failures present a n excellent means for introducing some additional chemistry. If insufficient oxidant is used,
cobalt(I1) will still be present a t the end of the experiment. Then, on the addition of HC1, Cock2- forms

Co(H20)~,~+ 4 Cl-

+ CoClp2- + 6 Hz0

This equilibrium lies to the right in a solution of high chloride concentration; i t is also favored in ethanol. The large anion,
thus formed, precipitates the complex cation
2 Coen33+

+ 3 C O C ~ ~ -[Coen&[CoCl&(s)

Yellow [Caend3+and blue CoCL2-produce the observed green compound. Adding water, of course, destroys the anion regenerating the yellow color.
This reaction may be further demonstrated by mixing solutions of Coma3+ and C o C 1 F ( C O ( H ~ O )in~ 12
~ +M HCI).
The green compound (displaying identical properties with the one occasionally obtained in the synthesis) precipitates.

' Krause, R. A., and Megargle, E. A., J. CHEM. EDUC., 53,667 (1976)
University of Connecticut
Starrs, 06268

Ronald A. Krause

Volume 55, Number 7, July 1978 1 453