TATER Posted April 2, 2007 Share Posted April 2, 2007 Hello, i just electrolised a solution of water and salt using a copper anode and electrode. after i had electrolised that solution, i added phenolphthalein, it turned purple, turned orange after ten minutes or so, then turned clear. does any body know what this final solution is? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woelen Posted April 7, 2007 Share Posted April 7, 2007 The purple color is due to formation of hydroxide at the cathode. The orange color probably is due to formation of hydrous copper (I) oxide, which is formed in a secondary reaction between material from the anode and the hydroxide from the cathode. The turning clear is not easily explained, unless the orange material precipitated. Is there any solid material at the bottom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TATER Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share Posted April 9, 2007 just a little bit of leftover phenolphthalein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TATER Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 i tried it again but this time i used both copper anodes. i used a test tube to capture the hydrogen produced and a strange blue residue appeared on the wall of the test tube:confused: i had also added salt to this mixture but i used no phenolphthalein. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woelen Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 The blue residue is a copper(II) compound. Most likely it is copper hydroxide, or some copper hydroxochloride. It can best be represented as [math]CuCl_{2-x}(OH)_x[/math], where x can be anything between 1 and 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now