cupric carbonate is a chemical compound with formula At ambient temperatures, it is an ionic solid (a salt) consisting of copper(II) cations and carbonate anions. This compound is rarely encountered because it is difficult to prepare[2] and readily reacts with water moisture from the air. The terms "copper carbonate", "copper(II) carbonate", and "cupric carbonate" almost always refer (even in chemistry texts) to a basic copper carbonate (or copper(II) carbonate hydroxide), such (which occurs naturally as the mineral malachite). For this reason, the qualifier neutral may be used instead of "basic" to refer specifically.