Zinc hydroxide

Zinc hydroxide Zn(OH)2 is an inorganic chemical compound. It also occurs naturally as 3 rare minerals: wülfingite (orthorhombic), ashoverite and sweetite (both tetragonal). Zinc hydroxide Zn(OH)2 is an inorganic chemical compound. It also occurs naturally as 3 rare minerals: wülfingite (orthorhombic), ashoverite and sweetite (both tetragonal). Like the hydroxides of other metals, such as lead, aluminium, beryllium, tin and chromium, zinc hydroxide (and zinc oxide), is amphoteric. Thus it will dissolve readily in a dilute solution of a strong acid, such as HCl, and also in a solution of an alkali such as sodium hydroxide. It can be prepared by adding sodium hydroxide solution, but not in excess, to a solution of any zinc salt. A white precipitate will be seen: Zn2+ is known to form hexa-aqua ions at high water concentrations and tetra-aqua ions at low concentrations of water and, thus, this reaction may be better written as the reaction of the aquated ion with hydroxide through donation of a proton, as follows.