COPPER NITRATE - SOLID

[sunray18]

I have two containers of copper nitrate, powder, and they are both as hard as a rock.
Trying to get any chemical out is almost impossible and I have broken the plastic container of one in an effort to get enough chemical to make solutions.
Can anyone tell me how to reconstitute it - how do I get it ouot and then use it?
If i dissolve it in water then i no longer have the chemical in powder state.
HELP

[lada]

Not sure if it is worth it, but you could dissolve it all in hot water boil it down and re-crystallize.
I have in past tapped the plastic container with hammer to loosen the chemical and then put between sheets of paper and roll it wirh glass bottle or again hammer.

[Graham Kemp]

Yes. That happens often enough. Copper Nitrate adsorbs moisture quite voraciously. You can only try to keep a lid on it.

All I can suggest is drilling and chipping away with a spatula, and a lot of spare time. If you break the lump into smaller segments to extract from the container, you can then use a mortar and pestle to grind back into powder, or at least grains. For a while; until next time.

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Warning:
If you do resort to disolving and recrystalisation, do not boil it down, or use a drying oven, or other source of heat to speed the evapouration or attept to dehydrate the crystals.

Copper Nitrate decomposes when heated. First to Basic Copper Nitrate Cu2(NO3)(OH)3 and then to Copper(II) Oxide CuO.

[sunray18]

Thank you guys!