warlah
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Making Iron Oxide By Electrolysis Using Iron Nails As Electrodes
ive been trying to produce iron II oxide from using a 12 volt power supply, nail electrodes (which are magnetic and not galvenived so im assuming its
iron), and sodium chloride as the ions to increase conductivity. the crude product from this electrolysis is a blue powder when in water but after
filtration and drying it is a rust red color. ive tried testing the product by mixing aluminum powder with it and putting a magnesium strip in it and
lighting it on fire to see if a thermite reaction would accure but no reaction. my thoughts are that the nails arent pure iron and contain other
metals like copper. should i get a better source of iron if so where or should i use a better extraction technique to purify the iron oxide.
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DraconicAcid
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The problem is probably not with the synthesis of the oxide (which is probably more iron(III) than iron(II), since the latter oxidized easily in basic
solution), but in the difficulty in igniting the thermite reaction, which can be a real pain in the neck. If the iron oxide was mixed with copper
oxide, manganese oxide, or nearly any other oxide, the reaction with aluminum will still go well....once you get it started.
Please remember: "Filtrate" is not a verb.
Write up your lab reports the way your instructor wants them, not the way your ex-instructor wants them.
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warlah
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do you know any purification techniques for iron oxide
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Acidum
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In order to make thermite, you cannot use hydrated iron-oxide, which will be made using this process. Maybe try to heat it to 100+ degrees celsius
until constant mass?
...and then I disappeared in the mist...
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Liamatpm
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I would get the Iron hydroxide and heat it up it (over 110 degrees centigrade) then it might break the bonds. Then I would wash what's left then heat
it up again then you might have iron hydroxide.
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ferrousexplosive
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haha i always make this same process, a recomendation to you is that dark blue/green mass that precipitates, separate it not with filtration but with
3 or 4 cycles of dilution and decantation even in the same beaker or jar you made the electrolysis, the take the dark mass and heat it until all the
hidroxyde decomposes into iron (III) oxide and water, when all you got left is a red powder, you are more than done 
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knowledgevschaos
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Probably a bit late but here's what worked for me:
I used electrolysis with iron rebar as electrodes and potassium sulfate as an electrolyte, using 5 volts from a phone charger. As the iron corroded,
it left me with a greenish-black sludge which I assumed was iron hydroxides. I let it settle, decanted it, then repeated several cycles of washing,
settling and decanting with a siphon to remove the potassium sulfate. I gravity filtered it (would not recommend, this takes a very long time!), dried
it into a paste, put it into a steel food can and heated it with a flame, and it turned from greenish-black to brown and finally into a red powder.
When this was done, I ground it in a mortar and pestle, spread it onto a pyrex glass tray, and baked it in the oven at about 200 C for an hour, and
this produced a very fine, deep red powder which seems quite pure and is suitable for thermite.
Hope this helps!
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