Preparation[edit]
Cobalt(II) nitrate is formed by the interaction of cobalt oxide, hydroxide or carbonate with nitric acid.
Composition and structures[edit]
As well as the anhydrous compound Co(NO3)2, there are several hydrates of cobalt(II) nitrate. The various degrees of hydration can be summarised by the general chemical formula Co(NO3)2·nH2O, where n = 0, 2, 4, 6.
Anhydrous cobalt(II) nitrate adopts a three-dimensional polymeric network structure, with each cobalt(II) atom approximately octahedrally coordinated by six oxygen atoms, each from a different nitrate ion. Each nitrate ion coordinates to three cobalts.[2] The dihydrate is a two-dimensional polymer, with nitrate bridges between Co(II) centres and hydrogen bonding holding the layers together. The tetrahydrate consists of discrete, octahedral [(H2O)4Co(NO3)2] molecules. The hexahydrate is better described as hexaaquacobalt(II) nitrate, [Co(OH2)6][NO3]2, as it consists of discrete [Co(OH2)6]2+ and [NO3]− ions.[3]