- Source: Cadmium acetate
Cadmium acetate is the chemical compound with the formula Cd(O2CCH3)2(H2O)2. The compound is marketed both as the anhydrous form and as a dihydrate, both of which are white or colorless. Only the dihydrate has been verified by X-ray crystallography.
Preparation, reactions, and uses
It forms by treating cadmium oxide with acetic acid:
CdO + 2 CH3CO2H + H2O → Cd(O2CCH3)2(H2O)2
It can also be prepared by treating cadmium nitrate with acetic anhydride.
Cadmium acetate has few applications. By reaction with trioctylphosphine selenide, it has often been used as a precursor to cadmium selenide and related semiconductors.
Structure of the dihydrate
Unlike the coordination geometry of zinc in zinc diacetate dihydrate, cadmium is seven coordinate in Cd(O2CCH3)2(H2O)2. It is a coordination polymer, featuring acetate ligands interconnecting cadmium centers.
Safety
Cadmium compounds are considered Group 1 carcinogens by the IARC.