General Forums > Generic Discussion

making lead oxide electrode

(1/1)

adi94:
So, living in the UK i dont have access to sulfuric acid, so i tried making some. I did the electrolysis of copper sulfide with a plat electrode and i got a base.... and then doing the electrolysis with lead and copper electrodes in the clear liquid i got leaves black/brown residue on the lead. Did i make something dangerous by accident? also it doesn react with sugar at all :/  ??? ??? ??? ??? ???

chenbeier:
I dont think you used copper sulfide, because it is insoluble. Could it be copper sulfate? But I don't know what you really did, what base do you got.
On the lead electrode you produced probably lead dioxide, similar what happens in a lead car battery.
What should react with sugar.

adi94:
yes it was copper sulphate that was an autocorrent issue, i dont know what i made, from all the vidoes ive seen CuSO4 in elcetrolysis with platinum anode and copper cathode should make sulfuric acid, which then would make sugar black as a test. but it didnt so i checked the ph and i got a base and it smells kinda funky, i used reverse smosis water so ther should me no contaminates and only things resent should be Cu S O and H so i think the only thing i could of made were sufur ions. tw im not a chemist im doing enginiring and wanted to play around with anodising aluminum so thats why im so clueless and sorry for any bad terminology

Edit: this might sound wierd but it smells 'fizzy' and kinda like a cleaning product

chenbeier:
Sulfuric acid only makes sugar black if it is high concentrated so 96% w.t. But what you get is an aquaeous solution from maybe 5-10% w.t this is like vinegar and has no effect to sugar.
Base is alkaline this will not develop. How do you measure it.
Sulfur ions not existing.

The Reaction  by electrolysis is:

CuSO4 + H2O => Cucathode + H2SO4  + 0.5 O2Anode

adi94:
with pH paper test kit ill order a new one just in case but the color of the one i had was purple after the test.

Navigation

[0] Message Index