chloric1 - 4-1-2008 at 16:19
Well, way behind schedule as usual. I am finally getting around to etching my titanium rods in preparation for my anodes. Interesting things
happened. I havea 50ml test tube maybe 6 or 8 inches long. My rods are 12 inches and I need extra length for connections. I put 31% HCl into the
test tube after I had a 600ml beaker with boiling water. I put the test tube with the Conc acid into the water. The titanium started to bubble
immediately but gave ablackish green solution! WTF!
Getting pissed, I thought I was ripped off and sold steel. I did a magnet test and
nothing happened. So I probably have the right stuff. I proceeded to recheck the acid solution in a light source. The green is a lot darker than
ferrous chloride complexes and more like strong cupric chloride but with more black hues. Suddenly, I remembered that vanadium forms intense green
tetravalent chloro complexes, but the allow is rather low on vanadium. To make sure I have a good etch, I added roughly 1 gram of reagent grade
sodium fluoride. Immediately the reaction got more vigorous and I got a golden brown like a strong wisky color! WTF! I left it in there for
awhile(15 min approx) so I could eat and feed my little girl, went back and had a DEEP purple solution. I know this looks right! FINALLY!
But what
the hell is up with the other colors??
Twospoons - 4-1-2008 at 17:25
"so I could eat and feed my little girl" - that sounds awfully dodgy. I'd put a comma after "eat", if I were you
chloric1 - 4-1-2008 at 17:50
OK you know what I meant. Please lets keep this on titanium based topics.
guy - 4-1-2008 at 18:01
the other brown color could be a fluoro-vanadium complex
chloric1 - 4-1-2008 at 18:25
Really!? That is intersting thanks. I will try to research the vanadium a little more. MAybe the Vanadium dissolved before the titanium would react.
Well, anyways I got my etched Ti rods. I will coat them tomorrow.