Rixius
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Registered: 22-1-2014
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Electrolyte for Copperhydroxide
Okey, so I have been experimenting with electrolysis to make copperhydroxide but I have a huge problem...
First try, I used a copper anode and a copper cathode and NaCi as a electrolyte. The first 10 minuter it started to get blue but after 10 more minutes
it turn green and after 40 it turned yellow and after that it just became browner and browner.
I did this twice, and the first time I stoped at around 15 minutes and dried the blue, green copper hydroxide. Then I tried to burn it with a propane
burner and it burner with a beautiful blue color.
After that I did it again but after 1 hour it was all brown but I continiued a few more hours. After 5 hours it was the same brown color, so I dried
it and tried to burn in but there was no color exept orange red (normal fire) and the powder just got burned and hard.
Second try, I use copper as cathode, stainless steel piece as anode and magnesium sulfate as electrolyte. Same here it first turned blue and after
maybe 20 minutes if was green, that was just cause of the heat. Anyway I dried and tried to burn it but no blue flame, just as the brown powder
before. I throwed it away and did a new test.
This one I used NaHCO3 and same anode and cathode. After 5 hours it was a very beautiful blue color, but the copper plate was as it was before, no
reduction at all but I will try to get as much powder as possible.
What electrolyte should I use to make copperhydroxide? so far nothing have worked and alot of people says that NaCi, MgSO4 and NaHCO3 work, so far
NaCi and MgSO4 havn't worked...
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woelen
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Registered: 20-8-2005
Location: Netherlands
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With sodium chloride, you first get copper(II), but as the electrolysis proceeds, you also get hydroxide ions in the solution (from the cathode
region, where H2 escapes and hydroxide ion is formed). In the chloride-solution, at the anode you get copper(I) oxide. At first very impure, mixed
with CuCl2, giving some mixed oxochloride, which contains copper(I) and copper(II) ions. This stuff is insoluble and can be very dark green or even
dark brown, depending on how much copper(I) and hydroxide is actually present.
At an even later stage, you get more and more (still impure) copper(I) oxide, which has a dirty yellow color. Very pure copper(I) oxide has a
beautiful bright yellow, somewhat orangish color, but the presence of copper(II) gives a more dirty color, brown/yellow instead of pure yellow.
With NaHCO3 you get basic copper(II) carbonate, but the reaction proceeds only slowly. This is because NaHCO3 does not form concentrated solutions.
So, your copper is attacked, but it goes slowly.
The best results you will get with Na2SO4. At the anode you get Cu(2+) and at the cathode you get hydroxide ions, which react with the Cu(2+) to form
Cu(OH)2.
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