ElectroWin - 26-2-2013 at 11:35
i hear that thiourea is a brightener for copper electroforming; how may i synthesize thiourea?
one post here recommends,
"prepare NH4SCN, then heat it to 180C to turn it into NH2SCNH2."
-- https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=21...
i dont really want to handle cyanide; is there an easier/safer route?
[Edited on 2013-2-26 by ElectroWin]
mnick12 - 26-2-2013 at 11:59
You are not dealing with cyanide when you decompose NH4SCN, it is ammonium thiocyanate which is very different.
Also thiourea is REALLY cheap if you buy technical grade material, if you are interested I can pm a company that sells it.
ElectroWin - 26-2-2013 at 12:06
well,
i am looking for an over-the-counter supplier of small amounts, in Ontario, Canada; otherwise synthesis
mnick12 - 26-2-2013 at 12:09
There is a product sold in the US at many hardware stores called "Tarn-X" it is a solution of thiourea used to clean silver. Try looking around to see
if it, or a related product is sold in canada.
Good luck
ElectroWin - 26-2-2013 at 12:26
turns out, Tarn-X is available in Canada. the msds says it is 7% thiourea; not sure how the other constituents will affect the electroforming process,
but i suppose i can try, and report back, here.
refs suggest that i want > 5 ppm thiourea, and 40 ppm chloride, in a CuSO4 bath