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papaya
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I want to ask you ave, what do you think regarding the following purely theoretical plan: First boil down dilute acid to 80% , then put 2 lead
electrodes into it and electrolyze that until all the remaining water is decomposed to it's elements. Though, I don't know how stable Pb electrodes
will behave in concentrated H2SO4, will they survive?(at least they do fine in batteries)
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ave369
Eastern European Lady of Mad Science
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I'm no Copenhagen in questions of electrolysis. Not my field, sorry, and no experience of dealing with high currents and voltages. The biggest
electrolysis I've done was making chlorine with a flashlight cell and two graphite sticks from pencils, and this was when I was ten years old.
Smells like ammonia....
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j_sum1
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papaya, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. But a couple if things to consider.
1. You would want to calculate how long it would take to remove that much water. It is always longer than you think.
2. You are going to build up lead dioxide on your electrode. In other words, your electrode life will be finite. You could minimise this by keeping
the voltage down but that would lower your current and see point 1.
It is worthy of an experiment however.
[edit: typo]
[Edited on 4-9-2015 by j_sum1]
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papaya
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Lead electrodes stay well in acid batteries for many years, both under anodic and cathodic conditions, that's why I supposed to use lead, not graphite
for example. The idea about electrolysis is very simple here - when you electrolyze sulphuric acid solutions in water, only water breaks apart forming
H2 and O2, thus if electrode materials hold up conditions you can reach higher and higher concentrations of acid in solution as you continue the
process! I only fear that at higher concentrations of acid (compared to battery 30-40%) lead will start to dissolve (does any acid sulfate of lead
exist?), however one should find this out practically. On the other hand one can start only with CuSO4 solution - first all copper will be plated out
on the cathode leaving dilute acid in solution, then water (hopefully all what is left) breaks apart leaving only sulfuric acid behind. And
calculations.. faraday's laws will do.
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aga
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Lead Sulphate somehow leaps to mind ...
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