[subro]

Hello everyone. I'm trying to obtain Pt from its chlorine salt, PtCl2. The problem is that this salt is pretty insoluble so I can't perform an electrochemical reduction. I've tried to solve it in HCl 2N, acetone and hexane but i failed. With HCl I obtained H2 and Cl2, and even a copper transfer between the electrodes (graphite ones, but I think too tiny so the copper wires touch the water), but I couldn't solve enough salt to obtain the metal

So, I need an organic solvent (to avoid H2 reduction) with a low resistivity (because I use a 4.5 volt battery, so i I don't have so much amperage) and capable to solve PtCl2 at room temperature.

I'm thinking about MeCN or maybe DMSO (as I've seen in literature, but DMSO is obviously my very last option). What do you think?

[Enthalpy]

Hi, wouldn't strong heat suffice to decompose this chloride? Or a reducing gas like natural gas? Or a combination of both: a torch adjusted for a reducing flame?

In any case, be cautious with the evolved gas.

4.5V battery: did you compute the amount of metal it could deposit in the case that you find a suitable solvent? I expect it to be tiny.

And in the case you dissolve platinum chloride, adding some reducing compound may be easier than electrolysis.

[wildfyr]

Acetonitrile is probably your buddy. Its uniquely good at dissolving salts, while also being low boiling and easy to handle.

[Arkcon]

I fail to understand the OP's point.  They list a bunch of random procedures, to dissolve an insoluble salt, to perform electrolysis.  But if the molecular compound is dissolved in a solvent, its not ionized, and won't conduct.  So additions to the list of solvents isn't what's needed here.

[subro]

I fail to understand the OP's point.  They list a bunch of random procedures, to dissolve an insoluble salt, to perform electrolysis.  But if the molecular compound is dissolved in a solvent, its not ionized, and won't conduct.  So additions to the list of solvents isn't what's needed here.

That's a good point. I thought in solution PtCl2 will be as Pt+2 and 2Cl- but maybe it will be just solvated by a coordinating solvent in its molecular form. So electrolysis is useless. I will try the thermal decompositon.

Thank you all for answering