CYANOTYPE

BLUEPRINTING
BY

PHOTOREDUCTION
OF
FERRIC IONS

CHEMISTRY PROJECT

BY

ARPANA M RAMASWAMY OF CLASS 12C, 2017-18

DPS BANGALORE SOUTH
 CONTENTS

1. PREFACE
2. CERTIFICATE
3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
4. PROJECT REPORT – EXPERIMENT

(i) Aim
(ii) Materials required
(iii) Theory
(iv) Procedure
(v) Precautions
(vi) Sources of error
(vii) Utility

5. BIBILOGRAPHY
6. TEACHERS REPORT
 PREFACE

This project deals with blue printing used for reproduction of architectural and
engineering drawings. A study of developing these blue prints gives us a wonderful
opportunity to study a photochemical reaction.

The cyanotype or “blueprint” photographic process is one of several alternative

photographic methods, which relies on the photoreduction of ferric ions.
Cyanotypes are quite long-lasting and are normally blue.

OWL TO BE BLUEPRINTED BLUEPRINT OF THE OWL

 CERTIFICATE

Name : Arpana M Ramaswamy

Class : 12
Section : C
Roll number :
School : Delhi Public School , South Bangalore

This is certified to be the bona-fide work of the student in the

chemistry project for the academic year 2017-18.

Teacher’s signature : Student’s signature :

EXTERNAL EXAMINER :

SCHOOL SEAL
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my school, and the Principal , Mrs. Manju Sharma for providing me
with an opportunity to perform this experiment.

I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to my chemistry teacher Mrs. Prabha
Hegde and all the lab assistants, for guiding me and helping me complete my project
successfully.

I would like to thank my classmates for their support without which this project would
have been incomplete .

I would also like to thank my parents for their encouragement.

EXPERIMENT
AIM –
To study the process of blue printing by photochemical reduction of ferric oxalate in
cyanotype blue printing.

THEORY -
The cyanotype or “blueprint” photographic process is one of several alternative
photographic methods, which relies on the photoreduction of ferric ions.

Cyanotype chemistry relies on 2 distinct reactions :

(a)ferric ions present in organic-iron complexes are reduced by light (for example,
ammonium ferric citrate and ammonium ferric oxalate) ;
(b) the ferrous ions formed are allowed to react with potassium ferricyanide to form an
insoluble blue compound called Prussian blue, Fe4 [Fe(CN)6]3 . 15 H2O.

The chemical equations for the reactions involved in blueprinting with ferric oxalate are as
follows :

(a) Under UV – light, ferric oxalate (or its ammonium salt) gets reduced to ferrous
oxalate, with the release of CO2 ,
(b)
2 (NH4)3 Fe (C2O4)3 → 2 CO2 + 2 Fe (C2O4) + 3 (NH4)2 (C2O4)
(ferric) (ferrous)

b) The ferrous iron reacts with potassium ferricyanide to form ferroferricyanide

(Prussian blue),

Fe (C2O4) + K3Fe(CN)6 → K Fe [Fe(CN)6] + K 2 (C2O4)

8 K Fe [Fe(CN)6] ↔ 2 Fe4 [Fe(CN)6]3 + 2 K4 Fe(CN)6

Since The Oxidation- Reduction reaction of ferric oxalate is very fast in light,
Diammonium Phosphate is added to reduce the sensitivity of ferric oxalate reaction so that
the sensitized paper may be prepared in diffused light of the laboratory.
In ordinary photochemical studies, light enters the system continuously but at a low
intensity level. As a result, the concentration of short-lived intermediaries, is very low. So
their observation is very difficult. In FLASH PHOTOLYSIS on the other hand, the system
is exposed to a very powerful beam of light for a very short period of time .There is a higher
concentration of intermediaries and so results are clearly visible.

MATERIALS –
CHEMICALS – Oxalic acid, Ferric chloride, Diammonium phosphate,
Potassiumferricyanide,Potassium dichromate, Hydrochloric acid
APPARATUS – Conical flasks, Measuring flasks, Glass rods,
Trays, Beakers, Filter papers, Glass plates, Designer jewellery for printing.

PROCEDURE -\

1. Solutions to prepare :
(a) 0.5M Oxalic acid : Weigh 6.3 grams of Oxalic acid in a clean weif=ghing bottle and
transfer it to a 100ml standars flask. Dissolve it in distilled water and make the solution
upto 100ml. shake it well for uniform concentration .

(b) 0.67M Ferric chloride : Weigh 10.82g Ferric chloridein a clean weighing bottle and
transfer it to a 100ml standard flask. Dissolve it in distilled water and make the solution
upto 100ml. Shake it well for uniform concentration.

(c ) 0.1M Potassium ferricyanide ¨Weigh 3.28 g of Potassium ferricyanidein a clean

weighing bottle and transfer it to a 100 ml standard flask. Dissolve it in distilled water and
make the solution upto 100ml. Shake it well for uniform concentration.

(d ) 3.5 M Diammonium phosphate : Weigh 4.42gm in a clan weighing bottle and transfer
into a 100ml standard flask. Dissole it in distilled water and make solution upto 100ml.
Shake it well for unifoum concentration.

(e) 0.03M Potassium dichromate : Weigh 2.2gm of Potassium dichromate in a clean

weighing bottle and transfer it to a 100ml standars flask. Dissolve it in distilled water and
make the solution upto 100ml. Shake it well for uniform concentration.

(f) 0.1M Hcl

PREPARATION OF SOLUTIONS
2. In a 500ml beaker, mix 100ml of Oxalic acid solution with 20ml of Diammonium
phosphate solution. Place the beaker in diffused light in a locker. Add 100ml of Ferric
chloride solution to the solution of Oxalic acid and Diammonium phosphate while
stirring. A smsll precipitate formed initially will dissole on further stirring. Close the
locker and open it only when necessary.

FILTERPAPER FERRIC OXALATE SOLUTION

3. Take pieces of filter paper . Open thelocker and immerse the paper in the sensetising
solution of Ferric oxalate. Rotate the beaker so that the paper is thoroughly wet and no
dry spots are left. Thgis must be done in diffused light.

4. Remove the wet pieces of filter paper from the beaker and place them between sheets of
filter paper. This should be done as quickly as possible in partly closed locker. Leave
the pieces of paper between the filter papers for 15 to 20 minutes so that they get
sufficiently dry. For a sharp print ,they should be dried overnight.
Keep the sensitized paper in sheets of black chart paper.

5. After the paper has dried sufficiently, take the paper and keep one piece of jewellery in
each paper. Compress it below a shet of glass and expose it to light. The time of
expiosure for normal printing in 2-3 minutes if bright sunliht is used.
KEPT IN BRIGHT SUNLIGHT

AFTER REMOVING FROM SUNLIGHT

AFTER TREATING WITH POTASSIUM FERRICYANIDE

6. After expoasure to sunlight, treat paper with Potassium ferricyanide solution , Hcl
solution, then wash with very dilute Potassium dichromate solution and water. Leave
the print to dry.

PRECAUTIONS –

1. Weigh the salts accurately and make the solutions in measuring flasks.
2. Perform the experiment in diffused light.
3. The paper must be submerged in sensitizing solution at once, wetting it thoroughly and
no dry spot should be there.
4. The set of pieces od paper from the beaker must be placed between sheets of filter paper
as quickly as possible.

SOURCES OF ERROR

1. Overexposure to light may result in a very dark print.

2. The entire paper might not have been dipped properly fr developing.

UTILITY –
It is generally used in architectural drawings, and prints of important objects like keys
prior to duplication.
TEACHERS REPORT
Student’s name : Arpana M Ramaswamy
Class : 12
Section : C
Roll number :
School : Delhi Public School, Bangalore South
Session : 2017-18

Internal Examiner ; External Examiner :

School Seal :
BIBLIOGRAPHY :
1. Core Laboratory Manual for Chemistry
2. www.creative chemistry.org