CHRIS25 - 17-6-2012 at 10:57
Hallo, I had left one of my Ferric Nitrate solutions for two weeks and discovered just today that there is a sort of worm like lava movement midway
in the solution, when shaking the bottle it turned the solution cloudy then precipitated again.
I wondered if this was the Fe2 ion and so added my last remaining Hydrogen peroxide to the solution. It bubbled reasonably aggressively from about
2/3rds of the way up the bottle, you can clearly see a division between where the bubbles are eminating from a dark brown and the lava like sediment
that moves majestically on the bottom 1/3 of the bottle, and the clearer brown liquid resting on top of all this. Since a tiny portion of this
sediment already existed in the bottle I am assuming that the H2O2 speeded up an already ongoing reaction.
To re-iterate, the bottom 1/3 of the solution is a deeper yellow-brown than the top 2/3rds of the solution which is clearer.
Trouble is I am not sure what this reaction was? Could it be that the Fe2 ion is being oxidized to Fe3 ion and finally I am getting the Ferric 3
Nitrate?
[Edited on 17-6-2012 by CHRIS25]
mnick12 - 17-6-2012 at 11:18
Solutions containing the Fe3+ ion often form precipitates when exposed to air for extended periods of time. It is most likely a mix of iron oxides and
hydroxides.
CHRIS25 - 17-6-2012 at 13:13
Mmm...Ok thankyou mnick, well Having tried everything I know about making ferric nitrate I guess this really is an experiment to be abandoned.