Daffodile
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Thoughts on my Chlorate cell?
Hoping for some thoughts and advice, maybe even compliments because I'm pretty proud of this bad boy.
I'm attributing the yellow color to all the hypochlorite, it's running at 15 degrees C so I don't think the hypochlorite will disproportionate.
Been running at 5V, 2A for three days, the yellow color appeared after about one day.
My KCl is contaminated with a decent amount Magnesium Carbonate, of which a couple grams probably remains. Is this going to be a problem? I was going
to try recrystallizing the product from rubbing alcohol to remove any impurity crap.
Its good to be back on here.
  
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metalresearcher
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15 degrees is way too low.
The oxidation of ClO- (hypochlorite) takes place in hot solution.
Run a higher current (e.g. an old computer power supply).
I have a site here: https://www.metallab.net/KClO3.php
A recent video of my KClO2 making: https://www.metallab.net/jwplayer/video.php?v=L2NsaXBzLy9NYW...
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phlogiston
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Why rubbing alcohol?
Water is normally used, and it works particularly well for potassium chlorate because of the large difference in solubility between hot and cold
water.
If you used stainless steel in your cell, the yellow color can also be caused by chromate.
It will work at 15 C, but the current efficiency will be lower. You could run it at a higher current and add some insulation. Aim for about 70 deg C.
Whether the magnesium carbonate is a problem or not depends entirely on what you are planning to use the product for. We don't have a crystal ball.
It does not interfere with the process though, as long as the cell is not highly acidic. (if it is too acidic, the magnesium carbonate can dissolve
and a non-conductive layer of magnesium hydroxide will form on the cathode, strongly reducing the current).
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"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
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Daffodile
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cathode is titanium. cell is running at 5V, 2A. I'll try to heat it up then. Today I heated up the solution and filtered off the magnesium carbonate.
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phlogiston
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How is your power supply regulated (Constant voltage or constant current)?
If constant voltage, you can increase current, and thus the heat produced by reducing the distance between your electrodes.
If constant current, you can either widen the gap between the electrodes, thus increasing ohmic losses annd increasing heat production, or increase
the current setting.
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"If a rocket goes up, who cares where it comes down, that's not my concern said Wernher von Braun" - Tom Lehrer |
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markx
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Nice reactor!  But with only 2 amps it is going to take some patience to generate
a noticeable amount of product, but on the other hand one can let this low energy setup run for days on end without having to worry about overheating
or having to replenish water levels in cell due to too much evaporating losses.
As for improvements...I think the suggestions in previous comments already took care of most aspects.
Hope we see some nice potassium chlorate cristals forming at the bottom of the cell soon...
Exact science is a figment of imagination.......
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