Is it safe to swim in a lake treated with copper sulfate?

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asked Dec 19, 2023 in Swimming & Diving by Bouraghda (1,650 points)
Is it safe to swim in a lake treated with copper sulfate?

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answered Sep 3 by landobrian (11,310 points)

It is not safe to swim in a lake that is treated with copper sulfate until the copper sulfate has dispersed in the water for at least a month or longer.

Copper sulfate can be harmful to humans, animals and even crops.

When you put copper sulfate in water the copper sulfate starts to dissolve and in the process of dissolving a small amount of heat energy is released during the dissolution.

The color changes to blue because the 5 molecules of water get attached to it.

And the molecules are referred to as the water of crystallization.

When water is added to a anhydrous copper sulfate solution, it turns into a hydrated form of copper sulfate.

Commonly used hydrated form of copper sulfate is. 5 H 2 O .

It is bright blue in color due to the d-d transitions that take place between the ligands and the central metal atom.

It exothermically dissolves in water to give the aquo complex [Cu(H 2O) 6]2+, which has octahedral molecular geometry.

The structure of the solid pentahydrate reveals a polymeric structure wherein copper is again octahedral but bound to four water ligands.

A soluble salt like copper sulphate dissolves freely in water when the two are mixed.

The process is called dissolution and the homogeneous mixture formed is called a solution.

Copper sulfate is an inorganic compound that combines sulfur with copper.

It can kill bacteria, algae, roots, plants, snails, and fungi.

The toxicity of copper sulfate depends on the copper content.

Copper is an essential mineral.

Copper sulfate is used as a fungicide, algaecide, root killer, and herbicide in both agriculture and non-agricultural settings.

It is also used as an antimicrobial and molluscicide.

Uses for individual products containing copper sulfate vary widely.

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