Chemical Forums

Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: mafiaparty303 on December 30, 2006, 07:03:30 PM

Title: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: mafiaparty303 on December 30, 2006, 07:03:30 PM
Didnt want to start a new post so i just modified my filtering soil one..

EDIT: Is there a way to make copper (II) Chloride? At home? Im guessing it would have something to do with HCl and Copper but I don't have any HCl, is there a way to make it with NaCl? Or would a NaCl method be too complicated?

Also, what common house hold items contain useful Acids? I know asprin is a type of acid but how? since acids are liquid and asprin is solid? Would you just disolve it in water and you have the diluted acid? Other than the basic vinegar and lemon juice what other acids are there? Plus can you make HCl out of bleack or something like that?



Thanks







If I took some dirt from the ground (southern California) and put it in water, stirred it up, filtered it and then either boiled the water or let it evaporate what would I get as the final product? Does anyone have a link or know the % of elements in dirt?

Has anyone here heard about a Flower Pot Foundry? Its used for melting metal and I'm wondering if anyone's made one?


Thanks
Title: Re: Substances in dirt?
Post by: billnotgatez on December 31, 2006, 02:36:53 AM
The soil at any location is mixture of many compounds. Some of which are organic and some are mineral. The smaller particles and / or the soluble substances would be left after the process you suggest.
Title: Re: Substances in dirt?
Post by: xiankai on December 31, 2006, 03:03:48 AM
maybe u'll get some salts from evaporating, most of which are plant nutrients, and u'll filter out dead insects and small or tiny stones :P

the soil varies greatly from place to place, and calling it southern californian soil has no meaning, y'know.

u gotta bring it to a lab for analysis if u want to know what your soil contains, afraid its that complicated
Title: Re: Substances in dirt?
Post by: mafiaparty303 on December 31, 2006, 04:44:10 AM
ok, ya thats what I expected, different %of everything everywhere, worth a shot just to see what I'd get.

Thanks
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: billnotgatez on December 31, 2006, 05:02:16 PM
Far be it that, I would discourage throwing household chemicals together and see what happens.
And, surely I do not want to discourage experimentation.

But

Please consider the potential safety hazards involved with chemistry.


I know that it is tempting to just ask questions here.
And, surely we want to help where you might not have the resources to know the answer.

But

You also might want read about the chemicals you are asking about.
Initially I would use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25s to start and then look at other sites.
Google.com can help you search.


In any case please let us know how your experimenting is progressing.

One last point, as moderator I try to host this forum as best I can, but unless I have done the experiment myself, my ability to answer is limited.

Oh, one more point.
Changing the topic within a thread can be confusing.
It is better just to start a new post.


Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: mafiaparty303 on December 31, 2006, 05:56:38 PM
Ok thanks for the tips and ill keep that in mind if I want to post, (just didnt want to post too many new topics)

Can you use any soluable copper compound to do a single replacement? say taking CuNO3 and mixing it with water and then putting aluminium foil in the solution, wouldn't the copper switch places with the aluminium and form Aluminium Nitrate?
CuCl2 would be the same wound'nt it ?
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: billnotgatez on December 31, 2006, 06:33:09 PM
In many cases if you have two chemicals that react in solution and they do not precipitate or form gases, then you will probably not have total replacement. You will achieve a sort of equilibrium.


Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: mafiaparty303 on December 31, 2006, 06:40:36 PM
ok, so would that be a yes? That if you used any copper compound that is soluable and put it in water then place a higher metal in the solution it would replace?
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: teapot5 on February 24, 2007, 08:19:43 PM
If you need HCl then go out and buy it, the name used in almost any hardware store is 'Muriatic acid' I got a gallon for 4$ and I'm only 16.

And the concentration varies from 25-35% which is still great.
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: mafiaparty303 on February 25, 2007, 11:11:56 AM
wait so.. can I or can't I make my own CuCl(2)s      by mixing HCl and Copper?
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: constant thinker on February 25, 2007, 10:43:29 PM
Have you tried dipping copper of some kind into HCl? You should get hydrogen gas coming off it works.

I honestly don't know if this will work. I've never tried it. I'm thinking maybe it will work, as long as you're using concentrated hydrochloric acid. It just may be a slow reaction. Copper is fairly low on the reactivity series though.

By the way, where all the icons are above where you type your post, there is a button for subscripts. I suggest you learn how to use it.
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: mafiaparty303 on February 26, 2007, 12:51:23 AM
what i meant by CuCl(2)s was.. CuCl OR CuCl2
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: billnotgatez on February 26, 2007, 02:57:30 AM
mafiaparty303 -

Your entry should have read --

I noticed that copper does not react with hydrochloric acid very well. Does anyone have a suggestion as how I would get copper chloride.

http://www2.uni-siegen.de/~pci/versuche/english/v44-24-1.html

My answer might have been --

It looks like you might use bleach to get copper (II) chloride
Or
Sodium bisulfite and hydrochloric acid to get copper (I) chloride

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper%28II%29_chloride

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper%28I%29_chloride



Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: UnintentionalChaos on May 16, 2007, 10:54:40 PM
You can probably find copper sulfate as tree root killer and calcium chloride as ice melt salt (read the container for this one, many are blends of salts) or room dehumidifiers. Calcium sulfate is insoluble and the remaining solution will have CuCl2. The CaSO4 tends to hang around as a supersaturated solution though so after carefully evaporating the mix, an extraction with alchohol should leave all the calcium sulfate behind. Adding Cu metal (fine powder or thin wire) to concentrated CuCl2 solution should form Cu(CuCl2), the complex ion being very dark colored. Diluting this should precipitate CuCl. I have done the former, but only been told about the latter.
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: hmx9123 on May 18, 2007, 02:02:38 AM
Get some copper(II) sulfate at the garden supply store.  It's sold as 'sulfate of copper' usually.  Dissolve it in water.  Filter out any solid crap.  Dump in a stoichiometric amount of potassium carbonate (pool supply store) or if you don't have that, baking soda with a little bit of sodium hydroxide (red devil lye).  This forms basic copper carbonate.  Filter this light blue solid out.  Add HCl (Muriatic acid) to it slowly until gas evolution ceases.

If you want Copper (II) chloride, stop here, evaporate the solution, and you're done.  If you want copper (I) chloride, add a large piece of copper wire coiled up and boil the solution.  This will effectively reduce the copper (II) to copper (I).  Remove the copper wire, and dump the solution over cracked ice.  Very white copper(I) chloride (very pure) will crash out, as it is not very soluble in water.  Filter and dry.  If you let it sit in air, it will darken and become copper oxychloride.

Adding HCl to copper wire won't dissolve it without help of another acid or something else, like hydrogen peroxide, but if you add that, you may wind up with a mix of junk.  Stick to the method above.
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: nobelium106 on June 25, 2008, 01:12:23 AM
This is pretty late, but when it comes to Cu and HCl, copper is only very slightly soluble in HCl, not enough for anything of  major quantity, although you can precipitate copper from this with the addition of zinc (not 100% sure, could be Aluminum. It has been a while since i have done the experiment)
Title: Re: Can I make my own CuCl2?
Post by: C6H8O7 on June 25, 2008, 01:55:34 AM
Easy to find strong acids are

hcl also known as muriatic acid hardware store
citric acid also known as sour salt (the sour stuff in gummy candy) try bulk bins at a fred meyer or a store that carries a lot of jewish food