2007-02-02 23:34:09 · 12 answers · asked by frankofyl 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Maybe it's suffering from SAD?
2007-02-02 23:39:40 · answer #1 · answered by RM 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Light reflects off of things, but some colors reflect more than others. Which colors reflect the best has to do with the material. We usually just memorize this -- oranges are orange, apples are red. But the "why" question is not all that easy to answer. It has to do with the atoms that make up the material, and how they are arranged among themselves. Copper is indeed red-ish by itself, and sulfur is yellow, by itself. But when combined, their atoms work together to form an overall compound, copper sulfate. This compound is different from the atoms that formed it. It is blue. It does not conduct electricity very well (copper does....), it cannot be pulled into a wire (like copper), it cannot be mixed with charcoal to make gun powder (sulfur....). The electrons which circle the copper atom interact with the light in a way to make copper color. Same with sulfur. But when the compound is formed, then the electrons do not circle just one single copper, but work their way around the copper, the sulfur, some oxygen atoms etcetc. The electrons see a bigger picture, and interact with incominglight in a different way. We see this as a color change.
You can actually watch a chemical reaction take place -- mix two things together, each of which has no color, and watch some colored liquid form.
2007-02-03 09:53:53 · answer #2 · answered by Pavithra Narayanan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, copersulphate is a hydrated substance (ie) every molecule is attatched to some water. When copper sulphate is heated however, the water evaporates leaving a white coloured powder.
CuSO4·5H2O is the formula for copper sulphate or blue vitriol.
Every copper sulphate molecule is attatched to 5 molecules of water
On heating, CuSO4·5H2O -------> CuSO4 + 5H2O
That is, the water evaporates and leaves behind a white salt, taht is copper sulphate
2007-02-03 08:45:37 · answer #3 · answered by uniciron 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm guessing because copper sulphate has a pi or double bond somewhere.
Pi or double bonds absorb light in the wavelength of visible light making them have a color.
See the diagram.
2007-02-03 09:12:26 · answer #4 · answered by Matthew L 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Copper Sulphate consists of copper(II) ions and suplahte ions.
Because of these ions, copper sulpahte is blue. When dissolved in water, the copper sulphate will split into copper(II) ions and suplahte ions and copper(II) ions is actually blue in colour thus turning the whole solution blue.
2007-02-03 07:42:16 · answer #5 · answered by Gaara of the Sand 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's because of the copper(II) ion, the sulphate ion is colourless. The copper (II) ion is blue due to 'd-d' transitions in the electron subshells.
2007-02-03 10:58:41 · answer #6 · answered by Elaine 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hydrated copper ions absorb red light, so the light that comes from them is blue.
2007-02-03 07:38:11 · answer #7 · answered by Gervald F 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Why it is blue, I don't know? I just know that all solutions containing copper are blue.
But it is coloured because copper is a transition metal.
2007-02-03 08:26:58 · answer #8 · answered by Ieshwar 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it contains small amounts of water which makes it blue. on heating, this water evaporates and it turns white. because of the water, it absorbs red light and like the other guy said, blu light is emitted.
2007-02-03 07:40:37 · answer #9 · answered by qwerty u 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
because it absorbs all colours and reflects blue
2007-02-03 07:39:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋