Which chemical formula represents hydrated copper(II) sulfate?

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Multiple Choice

Which chemical formula represents hydrated copper(II) sulfate?

Explanation:
Hydrated salts contain water molecules bonded within the solid’s crystal structure. For copper(II) sulfate the common hydrated form is the pentahydrate, which means five water molecules are attached to each CuSO4 unit. This is written as CuSO4·5H2O, with the dot signaling water of crystallization and the 5 indicating how many water molecules are included. The blue color of the hydrated form and the fact that it loses water on heating to become white anhydrous CuSO4 are well-known clues to this hydrated state. The other options aren’t hydrated forms: CuSO4 is the anhydrous salt, while CuO and CuS are different copper compounds (oxide and sulfide), not hydrated copper sulfate.

Hydrated salts contain water molecules bonded within the solid’s crystal structure. For copper(II) sulfate the common hydrated form is the pentahydrate, which means five water molecules are attached to each CuSO4 unit. This is written as CuSO4·5H2O, with the dot signaling water of crystallization and the 5 indicating how many water molecules are included. The blue color of the hydrated form and the fact that it loses water on heating to become white anhydrous CuSO4 are well-known clues to this hydrated state. The other options aren’t hydrated forms: CuSO4 is the anhydrous salt, while CuO and CuS are different copper compounds (oxide and sulfide), not hydrated copper sulfate.

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