OMG, What the f--- Please I need help!!!

Ok, I know this really should go into the Electrochemistry section, but I really would like replys ASAP, so I thought I would get more attention if I post it here. Real sorry guys.

Here's what happened:

I had my catholyte from my new attempt to make H2SO4 (i trashed the iron contaminated one). Anyways, I found pure graphite anodes this time, so my anolyte stayed clear, but the catholyte had turned bright orange.... It didnt look like iron, cause iron is kind of rusty orange. This was BRIGHT orange It mustve been crap on the cathodes So I filtered out all the orange precipitate (i still cant figure out what it is). I continued to filter a few more times, but using 3 filters at a time. All the yucky crap was gone and i was left with a clear, light green solution (like the color of Cl2)!! The first thing that hit me was... could this be nickel??!? This is where I desperately need help.

So I took the catholyte (which contained MgSO4 and the contaminant(s)) and electrolyzed it far away from the house, incase it was some nickel compound. AFter I turned on the power, the reaction became very violent in a matter of seconds. Bubbles were spewing like mad from the electrodes and the solution was so hot it hurt to touch the glass jar. The carbon electrodes began to disintegrate VERY rapidly into dust. So there I was wondering if it could be iron (II) or nickel. Suddenly, it starts smelling like H2S. Thats when I was like OMFG!!! and I ran for my life. I turned the thing off at the extension cord outlet at the house and waited for the H2S to disapate. I was quite terrified by then.

I went back to catch a glimpse at the contents of the jar, and there was a few drops of what looked like oil floating on top of the solution. Im not sure if I was imagining it, but i caught a small whiff of soemthing that resembled Cl2, but more musty. If I could put a smell into a color, a dark rusty brown would come to mind. Unfortunately, I cant tell what color the solution is anymore cause the carbon dust turned it dark green/black. It was still transparent though.

The formation of H2S from SO4 2- and other ions doesnt sound logical/possible...

Please some one help me, Im dead terrified that it could be a nickel compound. Its still sitting out in my yard cause I dare not go near it. I need to find a way to get rid of it soon as poss if it is nickel.

I sound like a total whimp now, dont I?

Nickel salts are carcinogenic. And I dont deal with carcinogenic stuff

Well, I guess the possibility of it being a nickel salt solution isnt so bad, cause its out in my yard but, Im really puzzled about the H2S (or whatever it was that really smelled like it), the oily floating liquid, and that other strange smell.

Edit: Are there orange and green chromium salts? I know chromium sulphate is green... but what would the bright orange precipitate be?

[Edited on 13-1-2004 by Saerynide]

Oh dear god....

And my solution was bright orange!! You should've seen how much orange precipitate was in there!! Crap... I now have a jar of super carcinogenic shit out in my yard thats worse than nickel salts....
Thank god I didnt touch any of it, I hope

Should I just knock it over into the grass?? The lawn can get cancer for all I care

Since I used a knife, it probably had chromium plating on it. But it was the cathode, why would it oxidize to make chromium salts? That makes no sense.

Lol you are funny

Could you answer a few questions pls.. so it is easier to understand whats going on!

What electrode material did you use, for both cathode and anode? Graphite only? Where did you get it from? Often such electrodes contain clay materials, oils, and god knows what.
What did your solution contain? H2O (destilled or tap) with MgSO4? Where did you get the MgSO4 from? Fertilisers, or a pure product?
Was there any electrode separation, i.e. by a diaphragm or salt bridge?
What voltage/amperage did you use? As you describe spewing etc, it sounds to me you overdid it with the power imput. I hope it was DC current by the way
What was the electrolysis vessel made of? Plastic, glas, metal, ceramics?
Was it a closed container, or could gases vent off easily?

By the way, take it easy with your 'supercarcinogenic shit' lol. I bet it's just a solution of iron III sulphate or something. or even iron hydroxide, which also forms a precipitate that is orange brownish. Even if it was nickel or chromium, it's not going to do ANYTHING to you unless you evaporate the water and make sure you INGEST it. Else, just wear gloves and flush it down the toilet (they have ways of filtering out such metals), and NOT onto the soil (ts ts ts, these Americans ) - as you may poison drinking water and nearby streams, and kill all the fish in the lakes, plus fishermen who may eat the fish.

Nickelsalts are more toxic than copper salts by the way.

Anyway, chill, what you are doing is harmless

[Edited on 13-1-2004 by chemoleo]

You guys are having fun teasing me.. so cruel

I used graphite anode. I bundled a bunch of thick pencil leads together. I scraped them all clean of glue and junk with a knife before using em.

For the cathode, I used a stainless steel knife.

I used distilled water and MgSO4 7H2O from the drug store.

I used a paper towel strip to separate the 2 jars. This was for when I was still making H2SO4. I stuck both electrodes in to the catholyte jar cause I was trying to plate out the metal contaminant.

I was running it on 5 volts at 14 amps, and yes, it was DC It came from a computer power supply.

I used glass jars and no, I didnt cap them.. I think it wouldve made a nice pipe bomb if I did, considering how hot the solution was and how much gas was being released

I really dont think it's iron sulphate.. It doesnt look anything like it. I mean its BRIGHT orange

BTW, I still dont understand why so much H2S was given off. Is that even possible? Or is there another gas that resembles it's smell that couldve been produced?

Quote:

Originally posted by chemoleo Lol you are funny Could you answer a few questions pls.. so it is easier to understand whats going on! [Edited on 13-1-2004 by chemoleo]

Quote:

Originally posted by Saerynide You guys are having fun teasing me.. so cruel I used graphite anode. I bundled a bunch of thick pencil leads together. I scraped them all clean of glue and junk with a knife before using em.

Yepp, I remember back in my heyday, I once electrolysed 1 l of saturated NaCl with 220 V (!!!) DC. Wow, that was fun! The solution heated up to boiling within seconds, and I got heaps of NaOH etc.

Anyway, thats what I suspected... lead pencils... it's a very bad idea. They do contain clay materials, plus oils (which for sure is the oil u noticed at the surface of the solution). Anyway, you are introducing all sorts of materials that way. How about you go to your local hardware store and get yourself some decent welding carbon electrodes? They work much better. You can use them for electric arcs too, and make some CaC2 that way...
Now, the knife you use for the cathode..... what did it look like after you did your electrolysis? I bet it went from shiny to a dull colour - which would indicate that the Fe got dissolved. Indeed, in this case, this would explain nicely why your solution turned orange. FeIII+ is orange/red/brown.

With closed container I meant to find out whether any evolving gases could back -react with the solution - just as with NaCl, where the Cl2 reacts with the NaOH. Obviously you wouldnt close it completely (doh ), you would have to have some kind of overpressure valve, or a venting hole at the top of your vessel.
Anyway... I would do what guaguanco suggested: Start simple. Use water, no salts, nothing else, and acidify slightly. Then run your electrolysis. Turn down your power. The solution shouldnt get more than 40 deg C hot. If it works without producing H2S, chromium, nickel, cyanide, war gas etc, only then you are ready to test it with MgSO4!!

"BRIGHT orange"
I have once hydrolysed some Fe(lll) salt in very hot water, in hope of making a ruby-red colloidal solution (a few drops of FeCl3 in boiling water, my chemistry book stated). And I did only use a few drops. It didn't work... ...kind of. I got a very bright orange opaque solution, which in a few minutes settled to a voluminous, BRIGHT orange precipitate. So Fe(OH)3 pretty much fits your description.

Well, my yard isnt exactly the biggest yard, and I have a very high fence. The area was starting to stink up pretty fast cause I did it by the fence. "Far away from the house" means about 15 m or so... I guess I shouldnt have used "far" in my sentence

I know I sound like some over-paranoid freak about carcinogens, but I have lost a few family members to cancer. I do not want increase the risk of having to lose anymore (or myself) by exposing them to more carcinogens than they need.

I agree, otherwise, I would be worried.. Who knows what else could've gotten in there

Yeah, thats what I meant. I guess *I* misunderstod your last post.




I wish they expanded on that a bit more