Uses of Ferrous Oxalate
- Ferrous oxalate is used as a photographic developer for silver bromide-gelatin plates.
- It is used to impart a greenish-brown tint to optical glass (like sunglasses, windshields, and railroad car windows).
- It is used in the metal treatment industry and the textile industry.
- It is also used as a glass tint (sunglasses and windshields) and as a pigment for plastics, paints, and lacquers.
Ferrous Oxalate Formula
Ferrous oxalate, or iron (II) oxalate, is a derivative of Oxalic Acid. It is an inorganic compound whose chemical formula is FeC2O4. It is a chemical compound composed of one iron (II) ion (Fe2+) and one oxalate ion (C2O42-). The IUPAC Name of ferrous oxalate is iron (II) oxalate. It is an odorless yellow solid whose molar mass is 143.86 g/mol. It is poorly soluble in water and is soluble in acids. It is used in the metal treatment industry, photo developers’ formulations, and the textile industry. Ferrous oxalate is most commonly encountered in its dihydrate form, i.e., FeC2O4·2H2O. The dihydrate of ferrous oxalate is a coordination polymer that consists of chains of oxalate-bridged ferrous centers, each capped by water molecules. When heated, it dehydrates and decomposes into iron oxides and a pyrophoric black iron, and it also evolves carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gases. Ferrous oxalate is used for decorative glassware, as a pigment for plastics, paints, and lacquers, in the metal treatment industry, in photo developers’ formulations, and the textile industry.