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Topic: What did I make during electrolysis of water with malic acid?  (Read 2738 times)

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Offline Ketsueki

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electrolysis but i had no (NaCl) table salt on hand. So i used (C4H6O5) malic acid instead. I used a copper wire electrode for one end and a zinc coated iron nail for the other and added some 3 percent hydrogen peroxide part way through. I ran some current through and the solution turned light yellow. when i disconnected the power the zinc coated iron nail continued to bubble with no power as if dissolving . if anyone knows what this solution could be please post and tell me and thank you.

Offline Borek

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Re: What did I make during electrolysis of water with malic acid?
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2017, 02:06:55 PM »
Have you tried to put zinc in the malic acid solution without adding current?
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Offline Ketsueki

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Re: What did I make during electrolysis of water with malic acid?
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2017, 03:25:34 PM »
The thin zinc coating got near instantly removed after adding current the iron under was bubbling i will take another  nail and remove the zinc coating making the solution again to see if it bubbles.

Offline Borek

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Re: What did I make during electrolysis of water with malic acid?
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2017, 05:10:50 PM »
Put the coated nail in the acid and just wait observing what is happening.
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Offline Ketsueki

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Re: What did I make during electrolysis of water with malic acid?
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2017, 05:39:19 PM »
Oh I did put it in the solution after with no current bubbling occured

Offline Arkcon

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Re: What did I make during electrolysis of water with malic acid?
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2017, 09:34:41 PM »
Great.  Now, you have a stack of observations: what you did, and what you saw.  Put them in a list or a table, and begin to build something you can use to understand.

This is what we do here, we help you help yourself to learn. We don't dump complete answers to random questions.  That's all detailed in the Forum Rules{click}.  You agreed to these rules as a condition of signing up for our forum, and they apply to you, whether you agree with them or not, or even if you're unaware of them. 

You know something happens when zinc is put in malic acid, twice.  You also performed electrolysis, what does that usually do?  And you added peroxide -- which is that to react with?  Excess starting material, reaction 1, reaction 2?  Nothing?  Everything?
Hey, I'm not judging.  I just like to shoot straight.  I'm a man of science.

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