HI

 

So you know when you add copper to vinegar it does nothing

but when you add 3% H2O2 to the vinegar and heat it reacts with copper

to form copper acetate.

 

But i just read that a solution of acetic acid and H2O2 is peracitic acid ok

so does that mean the copper acetate i have made is really copper peracetate. And if so what is the difference.

 

Thank you.

No, and you have not made any appreciable quantity of peracetic acid either. All you've done is to add an oxidizer that can convert copper metal to copper (II) ions. When you typically think of metals dissolving in acid, the reaction generally looks like this one:

 

[ce] Mg (s) + 2HCl (aq) -> H2 + MgCl2 (aq) [/ce]

 

The metal is oxidized by the acidic proton (solvated as hydronium ion) of the acid, forming a metal cation and hydrogen gas.

 

Copper doesn't work in that reaction. Copper lies below hydrogen on a galvanic series. If you could appropriately apply hydrogen gas pressure to a copper ion solution (good luck), the reaction would actually go backward to make the metal and acid. Hydrogen peroxide and oxygen are both capable of oxidizing the copper metal. They're stronger oxidants than hydronium ion. Notice that no hydrogen gas has formed, but [ce] H2O2 [/ce] is reduced to water.

 

[ce] Cu + H2O2 + 2HOAc -> Cu(OAc)2 + 2H2O [/ce]

Ok thanks UC thats interesting.

 

did i still make copper acetate though?