Foeskes
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Registered: 25-2-2017
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Sodium methoxide in Methanol electrolysis products?
So I messed around with a solution of NaOCH3 in methanol and its conductivity. And after connecting it to a 12v lead acid battery it started to
generate some bubbles at the cathode but little to no bubbles at the anode. The copper anode started to turn into CuO and the cathode was completely
oxide free and cleaner.
It eventually got a bit cloudy(I guess some contents were oxidized into CO2 and reacted with the NaOCH3 and maybe a bit of anode oxidation products)
and a bit warm.
I have no idea what the gases produced were, I assume it's hydrogen at the cathode but I don't really know, there were 2 big bubbles on the
anode(after 5 minutes of running) I assume it's oxygen.
I'm pretty sure the Methanol was dry or at least close to anhydrous, the label mentions it being completely methanol(possibly bittering agents), and
after doing nurdrage's magnesium drying it did not change at all.
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TGSpecialist1
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On cathode hydrogen gas is produced, on anode probably methoxy radicals which react further in hard to predict ways.
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Chemetix
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It could be the reaction running in a forward direction and producing more sodium methoxide because you are decomposing the H2O by electrolysis.
NaOH + MeOH <=> NaOMe + H2O
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