Zinc sulfate is the inorganic compound

Inorganic compound

Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...

 with the formula

Chemical formula

A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....

 Zn

Zinc

Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...

SO₄

Sulfate

In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid.-Chemical properties:...

 as well as any of three hydrates. It was historically known as "white vitriol". It is a colorless solid that is a common source of soluble zinc ions.

Production and reactivity

Zinc sulfate is produced by treating zinc with aqueous sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...

:

Zn + H₂SO₄ + 7 H₂O → ZnSO₄(H₂O)₇ + H₂

Pharmaceutical grade zinc sulfate is produced from high purity zinc oxide

Zinc oxide

Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula ZnO. It is a white powder that is insoluble in water. The powder is widely used as an additive into numerous materials and products including plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, rubber , lubricants, paints, ointments, adhesives, sealants,...

:

ZnO + H₂SO₄ + 6 H₂O → ZnSO₄(H₂O)₇

In the laboratory, it can also be prepared by adding solid zinc to a copper(II) sulfate solution:

Zn + CuSO₄ → ZnSO₄ + Cu

In aqueous solution, all forms of zinc sulfate behave identically. These aqueous solutions consist of the metal aquo complex

Metal aquo complex

Metal aquo complexes are coordination compounds containing metal ions with only water as a ligand. These complexes are the predominant species in aqueous solutions of many metal salts, such as metal nitrates, sulfates, and perchlorates. They have the general stoichiometry [Mn]z+. Their behavior...

 [Zn(H₂O)₆]²⁺ and SO₄^2- ions. Barium sulfate

Barium sulfate

Barium sulfate is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula BaSO4. It is a white crystalline solid that is odorless and insoluble in water. It occurs as the mineral barite, which is the main commercial source of barium and materials prepared from it...

 forms when these solutions are treated with solutions of barium ions:

ZnSO₄ + BaCl₂ → BaSO₄ + ZnCl₂

With a reduction potential

Reduction potential

Reduction potential is a measure of the tendency of a chemical species to acquire electrons and thereby be reduced. Reduction potential is measured in volts , or millivolts...

 of -0.76, zinc(II) reduces only with difficulty.

Applications

The hydrates, especially the heptahydrate, are the primary forms used commercially. The main application is as a coagulant in the production of rayon

Rayon

Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...

. It is also a precursor to the pigment lithopone

Lithopone

Lithophone is a white pigment consisting of a mixture of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide. It is used in interior paints and in some enamels. It is widely used for white paint.-History:...

. Zinc sulfate is used to supply zinc in animal feeds, fertilizers, and agricultural sprays. It is used as in electrolyte

Electrolyte

In chemistry, an electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that make the substance electrically conductive. The most typical electrolyte is an ionic solution, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....

s for zinc plating, as a mordant

Mordant

A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. It may be used for dyeing fabrics, or for intensifying stains in cell or tissue preparations. The term mordant comes from the Latin...

 in dyeing, as a preservative for skins and leather and in medicine as an astringent

Astringent

An astringent substance is a chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"...

 and emetic.

Minerals

As a mineral ZnSO₄·7H₂O is known as goslarite

Goslarite

Goslarite is a hydrous zinc sulfate mineral with formula: ZnSO4·7H2O. It is a secondary mineral which develops after primary zinc minerals within the zone of oxidation and in old sphalerite mine workings. It is unstable at the surface and dehydrates readily. It is transparent to translucent and...

. Zinc sulfate occurs as several other minor minerals Zinc-melanterite

Zinc-melanterite

Zinc-melanterite is a mineral, a sulfate of zinc, copper and iron with formula SO4·7H2O. It is a soft monoclinic yellow green mineral with Mohs hardness of 2 and a specific gravity of 2.02....

 (Zn,Cu,Fe)SO₄·7H₂O (structurally different from goslarite). Lower hydrates of zinc sulfate are rarely found in nature: (Zn,Fe)SO₄·6H₂O (bianchite ), (Zn,Mg)SO₄·4H₂O (boyleite), and (Zn,Mn)SO₄·H₂O (gunningite

Gunningite

Gunningite is one of the minerals in the Kieserite group. Its chemical formula is SO4·H2O. Its name honours Henry Cecil Gunning of the Geological Survey of Canada and a Professor at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada....

).