Caesium oxalate (standard IUPAC spelling) dicesium oxalate, or cesium oxalate (American spelling) is the

oxalate Oxalate (IUPAC: ethanedioate) is an anion with the formula C2O42−. This dianion is colorless. It occurs naturally, including in some foods. It forms a variety of salts, for example sodium oxalate (Na2C2O4), and several esters such as dimethyl ...

caesium Caesium ( IUPAC spelling) (or cesium in American English) is a chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-golden alkali metal with a melting point of , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that ...

. Caesium oxalate has the chemical formula of Cs₂C₂O₄.

Preparation

Caesium oxalate can be prepared by passing

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide ( chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

and

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is t ...

over

caesium carbonate Caesium carbonate or cesium carbonate is a white crystalline solid compound. Caesium carbonate has a high solubility in polar solvents such as water, alcohol and DMF. Its solubility is higher in organic solvents compared to other carbonates like ...

at 380 °C: :Cs₂CO₃ + CO + CO₂ → Cs₂C₂O₄ + CO₂ Other alkali carbonates do not undergo transformation to oxalate. Caesium carbonate can react with

oxalic acid Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early inve ...

in aqueous solution to give caesium oxalate. :Cs₂CO₃ + H₂C₂O₄•2H₂O → Cs₂C₂O₄•H₂O + CO₂ + H₂O

Chemical Reactions

Caesium oxalate can be reduced back into caesium carbonate and carbon dioxide by thermal decomposition. :Cs₂C₂O₄ → Cs₂CO₃ + CO

Double salts

Compounds that contain caesium and another element in addition to the oxalate anion are double salts. The oxalate may form a complex with a metal that can make a salt with caesium. Examples include:

Mixed anion compounds Mixed anion compounds, heteroanionic materials or mixed anion materials are chemical compounds containing cations and more than one kind of anion. The compounds contain a single phase, rather than just a mixture. Use in materials science By having ...

containing caesium, oxalate and another anion also exist, such as the uranyl sulfate above, and caesium bis(oxalaoto)borate (CsBOB) (CsC₄O₈B).

References

{{Oxalates Caesium compounds Oxalates