Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Electrochemically formed formaldehyde?

Fantasma4500 - 9-6-2015 at 09:33

By chance i got to think of using electrolysis of NaHCO3 for forming CO2 for boosting plant growth, then i recalled something about carbon monoxide being formed in smaller forms, too.. (i tried, but i couldnt find the source) which is in general something you dont want to form. regardless i looked for uses of this carbon monoxide, and apparently its possible to absorb in NaOH, forming sodium formate!

problem with this is getting it to do this under enough pressure, and the NaOH at 160*C. i cant find how much pressure is needed, but some people have made some very interesting H2O gas generators for use as welding with extremely high gas output, if the exit on an such device would be small enough great pressures could be made, and possibly same effect as with sodastreams could be seen, just abit slower..
next step is keeping NaOH at 160*C and leading carbon monoxide into it, somehow pressurized.

now a problem would be immensive loss of NaOH due to it absorbing the CO2 which is also formed. to make it more economical calcium hydroxide could be used, and maybe it could be avoided to be handling a liquid hydroxide?

next step in producing the formaldehyde goes by forming calcium formate from the sodium formate and decomposing it into formaldehyde

another source of carbon monoxide would be decomposing ammonium oxalate or ammonium citrate, although both forms CO, CO2 and some NOx.

if this would be possible to do, the formed calcium carbonate, nitrate, nitrite and formate would give off mostly formaldehyde upon decomposition.

i do agree the whole thing about the unknown pressure and temperature may be problematic, but apart from that it could be done on a large scale for small money if you go with calcium hydroxide and electrolysis, maybe it could work out, and maybe it could be avoided having to deal with catalytic oxidation of methanol risking it blowing up. possibly a catalyst could be added to reduce pressure and temperature?

i thought about placing this in electrochemistry, and also organic as formaldehyde is organic and electrochemically forming something should go in electrochemistry, but its not just one of either, so i guess chemistry in general would be fitting?

hissingnoise - 9-6-2015 at 11:30

Quote:
By chance i got to think of using electrolysis of NaHCO3 for forming CO2 for boosting plant growth

CO2 does boost vegetative growth but it can inhibit bud formation in some plants, e.g. cannabis!


gatosgr - 9-6-2015 at 12:19

why do you know this? :D

hissingnoise - 10-6-2015 at 01:09

The magic herb interests me greatly . . . ?


Fantasma4500 - 13-6-2015 at 05:05

the plant itself is very beautiful as well, but so is any plant if you just look deep enough in the geometries it consists of, it seems an alternative would be to add a fuel mold or yeast could feed on to a substrate could be a way of forming CO2 if plant growth was the goal, creating a smaller symbiosis, although disregarding the more interesting part of electrochemically synthesizing formaldehyde which has as many applications as to stretch even to ending one self

hissingnoise - 13-6-2015 at 09:57

Quote:
The plant itself is very beautiful as well, but so is any plant if you just look deep enough.

Who cares how it looks? :D