Chemistry: Electrolysis, Chlorine
So, I'm doing a bit of amateur chemistry, seperating oxygen and hyrdogen from water through electrolysis.
So, on my oxygen terminal, I don't get any oxygen, but I do get a greenish powder mixed in with the water. I'm thinking this might be copper oxide, since I'm using copper wire, and I know that its the same color as copper oxide. But I'm not entirely sure, and I think theres a possibility the compound contains, at least in part, Chlorine (since I'm using Sodium Chloride (salt) to make the water conductive, and Chlorine would accumulate on the same terminal as oxygen).
So, is it partially Chlorine? Is it Copper Oxide? It is some sort of Oxygen-Copper-Chlorine compound? If it is just Oxygen and Chlorine, does that make it O<span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'>3</span>Cl<span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'>2</span>? Is that even a real compound? If so, can it be used for anything?
So, on my oxygen terminal, I don't get any oxygen, but I do get a greenish powder mixed in with the water. I'm thinking this might be copper oxide, since I'm using copper wire, and I know that its the same color as copper oxide. But I'm not entirely sure, and I think theres a possibility the compound contains, at least in part, Chlorine (since I'm using Sodium Chloride (salt) to make the water conductive, and Chlorine would accumulate on the same terminal as oxygen).
So, is it partially Chlorine? Is it Copper Oxide? It is some sort of Oxygen-Copper-Chlorine compound? If it is just Oxygen and Chlorine, does that make it O<span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'>3</span>Cl<span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'>2</span>? Is that even a real compound? If so, can it be used for anything?
Comments
yer gonna die..
in all seriousness... no clue. I think the oxygen would escape unless you have sealed the containment vessel *shrug*
It is sealed. The wire is inside a test tube, but there isn't any bubbling like there is from the Hydrogen wire.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->aaahhhh copper oxide >_<... chemistry class just did a bunch of **** with pennies... teacher blows.. class blows.. subject blows.. why did i even come in here?!?!<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Heh... yeah, um, funnily enough, this isn't for class. This is for fun...
I'm hoping it is copper oxide, because I like blue/green fire.
seeing as NaCl is soluble in water im guessing thats giving you NaCl(aq) (Salt Water) , your getting Cl- and Na+.
im not sure whats happening to the water tho i think thats being electrolysed too.
also i doubt the thing you are getting on the negative electrode will be a compound , it will most likely be an element (seeing as electoylisis splits up compounds).
seeing as NaCl is soluble in water im guessing thats giving you NaCl(aq) (Salt Water) , your getting Cl- and Na+.
im not sure whats happening to the water tho i think thats being electrolysed too.
also i doubt the thing you are getting on the negative electrode will be a compound , it will most likely be an element (seeing as electoylisis splits up compounds). <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, obviously the water is being broken down. Thats the main focus. The salt is just to make it conduct electricity.
And it can't be just Chlorine, because Chlorine is a gas, and I'm not getting any gas.
-edit- have you tried doing it using carbon electrodes?
I can't get a picture of it right now. I can describe it, though. The water has turned a greenish color when its stirred up, but after a while the particulates settle. So they're mostly very tiny green specks suspended in salt water.