metal carbonate → metal oxide + carbon dioxide Copper carbonate decomposes into copper oxide and carbon dioxide at 290 °C CuCO3 (s) → CuO (s) + CO2 (g)

Many metal carbonates can take part in thermal decomposition reactions. For example, copper carbonate decomposes to form copper oxide and carbon dioxide.

Hence there are five steps in the thermal decomposition of copper carbonate. These occur at 189, 232, 242, 260, 276 and 328°C with weight losses of 8.1, 10.6, 33.3, 13.8 and 22.7% respectively.

Copper carbonate, CuCO3 decomposes on heating to form one of these oxides and an equation can be written for each possible reaction Equation 1: 2CuCO3 (s) ? Cu2O (s) + 2CO2 (g) + 1/2 O2 (g)

The thermal decomposition of copper (II)carbonate produces copper (II) oxide and carbon dioxide CuCO3 (s) → CuO (s)+ CO2 (g) copper (II) carbonate → copper (II) oxide + carbon dioxide