Caesium oxalate

Caesium oxalate (standard IUPAC spelling), or dicesium oxalate, or cesium oxalate (American spelling) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Cs₂C₂O₄. It is a caesium salt of oxalic acid. It consists of caesium cations Cs⁺ and oxalate anions C₂O2−4.

Preparation

Caesium oxalate can be prepared by passing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide over caesium carbonate at 380 °C:

Cs₂CO₃ + CO → Cs₂C₂O₄

Other alkali carbonates do not undergo transformation to oxalate.

Caesium carbonate can react with oxalic acid in aqueous solution to give caesium oxalate.

Cs₂CO₃ + H₂C₂O₄·2H₂O → Cs₂C₂O₄·H₂O + CO₂ + 2 H₂O

Chemical Reactions

Caesium oxalate can be reduced back into caesium carbonate and carbon monoxide by thermal decomposition.

Cs₂C₂O₄ → Cs₂CO₃ + CO

Double salts

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

Examples include:

Mixed anion compounds containing caesium, oxalate and another anion also exist, such as the uranyl sulfate above, and caesium bis(oxalato)borate (CsBOB) (Cs[B(C₂O₄)₂]).

References

1. Oxalate
2. Caesium carbonate
3. Caesium
4. Rubidium oxalate
5. Solubility table
6. Francium
7. Glossary of chemical formulae
8. List of CAS numbers by chemical compound
9. Carbonite ion
10. Borate oxalate
11. Francium compounds
12. Yttrium oxalate
13. Diethyl phenylmalonate
14. List of inorganic compounds
15. Vaccinium stamineum
16. Berkelium(III) chloride
17. Pyrotechnic colorant
18. Nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents
19. Solubility chart
20. Carbonate