ch3misc00l - 22-1-2017 at 17:31
So i burned a mixture of copper (ii) chloride and charcoal in open air with a butane torch and i ended with a mixture of what i think is copper powder
and copper oxide. Does this reaction produce phosgene/carbon chlorides? I added the powder to water and it makes the water a little blue, so there is
definitely some unreacted copper (ii) chloride.
I think that these are some reactions that can happen:
Without oxygen present:
2CuCl2 + C = 2Cu + CCl4
4CuCl2 + C = 4CuCl + CCl4
With oxygen present:
2CuCl2 + 2C + O2 = 2Cu + 2COCl2
The copper oxidizes, so:
2Cu+O2 = 2CuO
What is the main reaction? I want to try this using a destructive distillation setup and bubble the gasses in water (carbon tetrachloride is
insoluble) and if i add an oxygen supply to the reactor maybe it makes phosgene (it will decompose in water to form carbon dioxide and hydrochloric
acid but i need to make sure it doesn't escape or it is a hazard).
PHILOU Zrealone - 23-1-2017 at 02:33
You forgot:
4 Cu + O2 --> 2 Cu2O
Cu2O + C --> 2 Cu + CO
2 Cu2O + --> 4 Cu + CO2
CuO + C --> Cu + CO
2 CuO + C --> 2 Cu + CO2
CuO + CO2 --> CuCO3
Charcoal is not simply C, you have also some H atoms (and some minor O, N, S, P atoms) into it...it was organic in nature before being turned into
charcoal; so more likely you will have H2O and HCl also.
Not counting with the fact C is under the graphite structur; a kind of stacking of extended polycyclic aromatic planes composed of hexagons with most
C atoms into conjugated sp2 (planar 120° angle) form...so when breacking that structure of (=C(-)2)n or (-C=C-C=C-C=C...) you will of course have
CCl4 but also other haloalcanes and alcenes (C2Cl4, C2Cl6, C3Cl8, ...) and halogenated aromatics (benzenic, naphtalenic, biphenylic, anthracenic,
pyrenic, ...)
Bubbling the reaction gases into cold water is a good option, but maybe add some Na2CO3 or NaOH to it to be sure to decompose any phosgen generated
(basic media will react much faster than water alone).
Na2CO3 + Cl2C=O + H2O --> 2 NaCl + CO2 + H2CO3 (same as (HO)2C=O or H2O + CO2)
2 NaOH + Cl2C=O --> 2 NaCl + H2CO3
[Edited on 23-1-2017 by PHILOU Zrealone]