WMChem
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Electrochemical method to Iron Chlorides? (my first post btw)
So, I am prepping for a lab to make some prussian blue. My chemitry professor is prepared to give me some of his potassium ferrocyanide. So, I only
need some Ferric Chloride to do my lab. Now, I could use some iron fillings, react with HCl, and oxidize from Ferrous to Ferric chloride with
H2O2....but I am an electrom chem nerd and I would rather not ask my prof. for any more stuff lol. I'm still learning, but I have a few labs
(electroysis) under my belt, so I know a decent bit. I have written out some of the half-reactions...but I keep running into the same issue: excess
OH- in solution (which would just precipitate iron hydroxides). So, that being said. Does anyone have any ideas or expieriences making iron chlorides
by electrolysis/ is it even realistically possible?
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woelen
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Why make iron chloride? Ferric chloride (FeCl3.6H2O) is available in nearly every part of the world in electronics shops, either as a solid, or in
concentrated solution. It is used for etching printed circuit boards for hobby electronics. it is not expensive.
Just dissolve some of this ferric chloride in water, add a few drops of dilute HCl to avoid formation of hydrolysis products (hydroxy-compounds of
iron(III)) and then add a solution of your potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) (you need the yellow/ferro salt, not the red/ferri salt). Use a slight
excess of the potassium hexacyanoferrate(II) to avoid making a hygroscopic and hard to dry mess.
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clearly_not_atara
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You are basically asking if you can get downtown in a helicopter. Yes, but why?
You can just make iron oxide and dissolve in HCl.
[Edited on 04-20-1969 by clearly_not_atara]
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WMChem
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Yes, you are right. That made me chuckle. I imagine it would be significantly cheaper-- and easier --to either buy ferric chloride, or produce it via
the HCl route. But what is, if anything, the point of home science if not to discover and test novel ways of doing the most simple tasks? Sure one
could buy it, but the defeats the fun!
I wasn't aware that iron chlorides did any kind of hydrolysis? I was under the impression that it was just weird hydration states/ complexes forming
with the water (as transition metals tend to do).
And yeah. I know there is a difference between Ferrocyanide and Ferricyanide. I think you can make the Prussian Blue with either. The point is though,
you need to match up a Fe3+ ion and an Fe2+ ion. Either of those ions can come from either salt, but you need both.
Thanks for the responses so far guys!
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khlor
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I would start with putting an iron anode on a divided cell loaded with table salt solution as electrolyte and see what comes out. I did have some
success with copper, wanted to try tin, never considered iron.
"NOOOOOO!!! The mixture is all WROOOOOOONG!"
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Texium
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Quote: Originally posted by WMChem  | | But what is, if anything, the point of home science if not to discover and test novel ways of doing the most simple tasks? Sure one could buy it, but
the defeats the fun! |
That is something I see people say quite frequently, and there is certainly some truth
to it. However, I think there’s an argument to be made that spending a lot of time trying to access mundane chemicals in more interesting ways tends
to hold one back from pursuing more interesting chemistry.
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