TheNextTesla

Well yeah, given that your solvent is probably water. And both those compounds are highly hygroscopic, so they will get wet super quickly. Certainly enough to ruin your electrolysis. If you don't know this already, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

Removing water from the crystals won't be hard.. Once I dry them it would take a decent amount of time for them to get wet enough to ruin the electrolysis. Also, if i choose to go about this and melt the crystals, water won't be present after I melt the crystals.

 

KOH is soluble in diethylether why dont you just try it? Do a small sample and if it works it works

Thanks, I'll try it soon.

If the particles of wood ash are large enough to settle down in a while, then sedimentation may be useful.

The solution isn't discolored because of sediment. I think it may be because of some kind of dissolved salt or carbide.

 

If its just the fact that its a gas and not the ridiculous 2.6k degrees you could hook it up to a metal tube and use it as a condenser.

 

Probably your best bet for managing to do anything is by reacting sodium or lithium with it at a more reasonable temperature. Cody's lab did a pretty good video on this synthesis.

 

I love Cody's Lab! Thanks, I didn't know he had this video

I thought your area was heavily ventilated? What sort of vessel are you using? How are you going to dry the KOH or KCl?

Dry it as in removing the solvent?

May I ask how you have prepared for potassium fires? If you are doing this in atmosphere, there is practically a 100% chance of you having one. That is assuming your electrolysis is successful, which is dubious. It won't work if there is water present.

I think I'm going to try and flood the area with argon

I've extracted some potassium hydroxide from wood ash, and I've filtered it a couple of times. I was wondering if ether would work as a cleaning agent for the crystals. Someone recommended that I should use anhydrous ammonia, but I don't really want to mess with that yet. Any other suggestions would be nice. Thanks in advance! Also, the current solution is a bit yellowish, and I assume that's from the presence of other salts from the wood ash.

Since no one has really mentioned this, I would encourage you not to attempt this unless you have appropriate safety controls in place. Chlorine gas is no joke, and potassium metal is highly pyrophoric. You are setting yourself up for an especially deadly accident if you aren't taking the correct measures.

Thanks for the concern. I understand the safety issues with this, and I've been doing a lot of research on the matter. The area where ill be working is heavily ventilated and I'll be wearing a respirator. I will also be wearing appropriate clothes in case of a fire, and I will be prepared for any Potassium fires. It's good to see that you're warning people of the dangers that their experiments impose. Also, it seems as though I have to be extra prepared for safety issues because I'm only 15, and it seems that there's kind of a taboo for teenagers to be doing experiments like this xD

 

IMHO electrolysis is much easier way. You have to heat KCl to melt it.

Then apply high enough voltage... With pretty large current (MIG/MAG/TIG welding equipment?).. And remove produced Chlorine gas...

That's probably hundred dollars, or thousands dollars, investment.

I think I'll try that. I have welding equipment already. Plus, the decomposition temperature of KCl is higher than the boiling point of potassium so that would be kind of difficult

Thanks Sensei! This looks like a way easier method of acquiring sodium metal than electrolysis xD! Your help is much appreciated

The only problem is getting it to 2600 degrees F...

Does anyone know of any conventional methods of reducing potassium hydroxide to form Potassium metal as an end result? I've just started making a batch of potassium hydroxide, and I was thinking of fun things to do with it. Thanks! Any help is appreciated!