Dimethyl glyoxime

Dimethylglyoxime (DMG) is an organic compound with the chemical formula C4H8N2O2, appearing as a white or off-white crystalline powder. It is slightly soluble in water but readily soluble in organic solvents like methanol and alkaline solutions such as sodium hydroxide. The molecular structure features two oxime groups (-C=NOH) attached to adjacent carbon atoms, making it a bidentate ligand that can coordinate to metal ions.​

Dimethylglyoxime is widely used in analytical chemistry as a reagent for the qualitative and quantitative detection of nickel, cobalt, and palladium. It forms a characteristic crimson-red insoluble complex with nickel ions, which facilitates easy identification and separation. This chelation reaction is also exploited in metal extraction and purification.​

Physically, dimethylglyoxime has a melting point of about 240 to 241 °C, is odorless, and has a density of approximately 1.37 g/cm³. It’s typically handled as a solid powder and used in solution form for analytical tests.​

In brief:

Chemical formula: C4H8N2O2

Appearance: White/off-white crystalline powder

Solubility: Slight in water, soluble in methanol and NaOH

Use: Analytical reagent for nickel, cobalt, palladium detection

Forms crimson-red chelate complexes with nickel ions

This makes dimethylglyoxime an essential reagent in inorganic qualitative analysis and coordination chemistry studies.