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I bought Oxalic Acid in an aqueous solution from a hardware store years ago. I need to turn it to powder form for easier storage and other things.

Can I simply evaporate the solution? I seem to notice that evaporating it releases fumes that are similar when one is boiling Acetic Acid. Are there more Oxalic Acid being lost just as it is when boiling Acetic Acid (not distillation)

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Depends on how hot the plate is I'd say. Oxalic acid is hygroscopic, so it will be hard to completely dry it by just subjecting it to heat as you might just cause it to break down.

There's a paper and procedure on Organic Synthesis on how to obtain the anhydrous form, so you should check that out to see if that meets your requirements.

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  • $\begingroup$ I don't need the anhydrous form, I just need it to be crystallized. So I'm taking time with it and heat it until there is a bit of mist above the solution, careful not to boil it. $\endgroup$ – Dehbop Jul 31 '16 at 1:22
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If you do not need the anhydrous acid, you can just leave the solution to evaporate for a few days. You do not even need to heat it. The dihydrate of oxalic acid is not hygroscopic. The white fumes are just mist created when the last remnants of water evaporate quickly taking some solid particles of oxalic acid with the vapor.

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