MadSci Network: Chemistry
Query:

Re: What are the solids in my solution?

Date: Mon Feb 21 02:33:32 2005
Posted By: Ewen McLaughlin, Lecturer, Chemistry, Swansea College
Area of science: Chemistry
ID: 1108609049.Ch
Message:

NaOH and NaOCl are good guesses, but both substances are colourless. 

I'm sure both solids are copper-based, from the colour. The bluish-green 
solid will be a copper salt; copper chloride or copper hydroxide (CuCl2 
or Cu(OH)2).

The floating solid is likely to be copper itself, which is pinkish-orange 
when pure, but rapidly oxidises to a darker brown. I guess it floats 
because it's a very fine solid and attached to bubbles of either oxygen 
or chlorine.

It depends how strong the salt solution is which gas you get - weak salt 
gives oxygen and stronger salt solutions give chlorine.

Ewen


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