Difference Between Cuprous and Cupric

Key Difference –  Cuprous vs Cupric
 

The stable cations formed by copper, which is a d block element, are cuprous cation and cupric cation. The cuprous and cupric ions are different from each other based on their electronic configurations. The key difference between cuprous and cupric is that cuprous is copper 1+ cation whereas cupric is copper +2 cation.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Cuprous
3. What is Cupric
4. Similarities Between Cuprous and Cupric
5. Side by Side Comparison – Cuprous vs Cupric in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Cuprous?

The name cuprous is given to the +1 cation formed by the copper atom. It is denoted by Cu⁺¹. The electron configuration of copper atom is [Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s¹. When the cuprous cation is formed, the electron configuration is [Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s⁰. Therefore, the cuprous cation is formed when one electron is removed from the copper atom. Since the cuprous cation can bind with only one other anion with -1 oxidation state, the cuprous cation is known as a monovalent cation. The electron configuration of cuprous cation is very stable. Thus there are, many compounds formed by this cation. Some examples are shown below:

1. Cuprous oxide (Cu₂O)
2. Cuprous iodide (CuI)
3. Cuprous sulfide (Cu₂S)

The hydration energy of a molecule or ion is the amount of energy released when one mole of that compound u8ndergo hydration (dissolution in water).

Figure 01: The Atomic Structure of Copper

The cuprous ion has low hydration energy compared to the cupric ion because the d¹⁰ electron configuration in a cuprous ion is stable than the d⁹ electron configuration in cupric ion.

What is Cupric?

The name cupric is given to the +2 cation formed by the copper atom. It is denoted by Cu²⁺. The electron configuration of copper atom is [Ar] 3d¹⁰ 4s¹. When the cupric cation is formed, the electron configuration is [Ar] 3d⁹ 4s⁰. The cupric cation is formed when two electrons are removed from a copper atom, giving the atom a 2+ electrical charge. The cupric cation can bind with either two anions having -1 oxidation state or one anion having -2 oxidation state. Therefore, the cupric cation is a divalent cation. The compounds formed with this cation include followings:

1. Cupric oxide (CuO)
2. Cupric iodide (CuI)
3. Cupric sulfide (CuS)

What are the Similarities Between Cuprous and Cupric?

• Both Cuprous and Cupric are cations formed from the loss of electrons from a copper atom.
• Both are stable cations.
• Both have a positive electrical charge.
• Both have the same atomic mass (because the mass of an electron is negligible).

What is the Difference Between Cuprous and Cupric?

Summary – Cuprous vs Cupric

Cuprous ion and cupric ion are cations formed from copper atom due to loss of electrons. The difference between cuprous and cupric is that cuprous is copper 1+ cation whereas cupric is copper +2 cation.

Reference:

1. “Copper.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Apr. 2018. Available here  
2. “Cupric Cation.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available here 

Image Courtesy:

1.’Electron shell 029 Copper’ (CC BY-SA 2.0 uk) via Commons Wikimedia  

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