Complexation of copper(I) by thiourea in acidic aqueous solution

The interaction of copper(II) and copper(I) with thiourea(Tu) has been investigated by UV and visible spectrophotometry. Over the range of concentrations of copper(I) and Tu(0.1–20)×10^–3 mol-dm^–3 in acid aqueous solutions there are two complexes, CuTu₂⁺ (log ₂=11.1) and the other has the ratio Cu/Tu=1/1 with the likely composition Cu₂Tu₂²⁺ with log ₂₂=18.5. By the determination of copper(0) solubility in acid thiourea solution and potentiometric measurements it was shown that the potential of the copper electrode is that of a non-equilibrium (corrosive) electrode.