Can You Dope a Sodium Chloride Crystal with Copper?

[SMD1990]

Before I begin my next experiment, I was hoping to get some feedback in regards to it.

What I was thinking of doing was growing a crystal of sodium chloride, doped with copper. I have chosen sodium chloride as the host mostly because it is the easiest pure compound I can produce with what I have on hand (my shelf of chemicals includes both hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide). My selection of copper as a dopant is for a similar reason: I have more powdered copper than I know what to do with.

My concern is in regards to doping the NaCl crystal with copper. To get ions of copper into the aqueous solution of sodium chloride, I am thinking it would be best to dissolve some copper dichloride into it.

Should that work? Or, am I going to be looking at a crystal of CuCl2, with some little bits of NaCl mixed in? Or perhaps, copper dichloride doped with sodium?

I would appreciate any thoughts you guys might have.

 

[Zefram]

Dear fellow scientist,

Thank you for sharing your experiment idea. Growing a crystal of sodium chloride doped with copper sounds like an interesting project.

First of all, I would like to suggest that you consider the purpose of your experiment. Are you trying to study the properties of a doped crystal or are you looking to create a specific type of crystal for a particular application? This will help guide your choices in terms of the materials and methods you use.

Regarding your concern about doping the NaCl crystal with copper, it is important to consider the solubility of copper dichloride in water. According to the solubility table, the solubility of copper dichloride in water is 59.5 g/100 mL at 20°C. This means that it is highly soluble in water and will likely dissociate into Cu2+ and Cl- ions. These ions can then potentially replace some of the Na+ and Cl- ions in the crystal lattice of sodium chloride. However, it is also possible that the copper ions will simply remain in solution and not incorporate into the crystal structure.

In order to increase the chances of successful doping, it may be helpful to use a lower concentration of copper dichloride in the sodium chloride solution. This will reduce the likelihood of forming a separate crystal of CuCl2 and increase the chances of copper ions being incorporated into the sodium chloride crystal.

Additionally, the final product may not necessarily be a pure sodium chloride crystal doped with copper. It is possible that the crystal will contain a mixture of Na+, Cl-, and Cu2+ ions, resulting in a slightly different crystal structure and properties. This is something to keep in mind when analyzing your results.

Overall, I think your experiment idea has potential and I encourage you to give it a try. However, it is always important to carefully consider the materials and methods you use to ensure the best possible results. Good luck with your experiment!