elementcollector1

Yay! As soon as I get back from California, I'll check the color of the solution. I was in a bit of a rush, so I simply put the precipitate (still in the filter) into the beaker and left it there for a few days. This won't affect anything, right? Ions still pass through and react.

Indeed. I want to make KOH because I'd like to attempt reduction to potassium metal (even though whatever product KOH I get is bound to be severely hydrated). Other uses could be production of KMnO4, etc. Now, when you said 'garden clippings', John, did you literally mean bits of grass and shrub? That's going to be *very* hard to find here in the Evergreen State... Suxamethonium, I've never seen many potassium compounds at the local Safeway but for salt substitute. What are they sold as? I know sodium carbonate is washing soda, is potassium carbonate some sort of sodium-free version?

It says on the label and MSDS "contains KOH". Or maybe you're referring to a double-displacement reaction, in which case I would have to come up with a new plan.

I found a jug of Enforcer Maximum Strength Drain Opener gel in my garage, and would like to know if there is any method for separating the KOH from the rest. The MSDS gives me 1-10% KOH and <5% NaOCl, so I should get those two and maybe a few other things after boiling down the solution. (The liquid was very soapy when I looked at it, forming bubbles easily).

Potassium peroxymonosulfate can be bought at pool stores, so that might be a good source. The reaction does work, though? I did guesswork on the equations, and left out the O2 and H2O in the last one (guess I shouldn't have).

How about this (NurdRage method): -Dissolve crude mix in HCl. Filter to get impure, iron contaminated solution. -Take 1/3 of solution and add NaOH to precipitate out metal hydroxides. -Add precipitate back into solution after washing. -Let stand overnight. Reactions: MnO2, Fe3+? + HCl -> MnCl2 + Cl2 + FeCl3 + H2O MnCl2, FeCl3 + NaOH -> Fe(OH)3 + Mn(OH)2 MnCl2, FeCl3 + Mn(OH)2, Fe(OH)3 -> MnCl2 + Fe(OH)3 is the link. This works for MnCl2 as well. So, now that I can get MnCl2 in a pure aqueous solution, what can precipitate out MnO2? Could H2O2 work (oxidize II to IV? Unlikely, apparently)? Or should I use potassium peroxymonosulfate (seen here )?

1: I already tried that. 2: I contacted the artist who made the song, and he helped me make an instrumental from scratch.

So, dissolve the precipitate in vinegar completely, add an oxidizer such as H2O2, and add NaOH to precipitate out Mn(OH)4? Manganese salts are typically pale pink. It's said that manganese hydroxide spontaneously decomposes into manganese dioxide and water upon contact with oxygen (dissolved in water). So, this explains the color change after filtering with vinegar, as some of the stuff must have already done this and made the black, pure manganese dioxide. But how does this get rid of the iron?

Wait, wouldn't copper be in the 1+ state in this compound? 2 Cu+ + S2- = Cu2S, right? For copper to be +2, it would be CuS.

Okay, so what is the impurity in the HCl that makes it green? It can't be iron, because it was stored in a plastic bottle.

As an experiment, I attempted to make pure MnO2 from the black battery sludge inside a carbon-zinc battery. An 'ingredients' list gave me this for the sludge: Manganese dioxide: 35-40% Zinc: 10-25% Potassium hydroxide (35%): 5-10% Graphite (natural or synthetic): 1-5% This is from a Duracell alkaline battery, but I figure it's close to the stuff I have (might be wrong, though). So, to purify it, I dissolved the stuff in a green (impure) solution of strong HCl, which gave me an even greener (think lime or yellow-green) solution. Then I got some NaOH, dissolved in water, and added that to precipitate out the manganese. However, I have a mixture of brown (supposedly my finished product) clouds and more orangy clouds (which look like iron impurities. Upon settling out, the whole mixture is brown. Upon filtering out, the mixture is black. I tried washing with vinegar (which is supposed to get rid of iron and not manganese) but ended up with a much smaller amount of black solid than I started with, which makes me think the vinegar got quite a bit of the manganese as well. The only thing wrong with this scenario is that there are no iron impurities in the list above. So, my questions to you: -Why do there appear to be iron impurities? Is it my imagination? -Why is the manganese dioxide magically changing color from brown to black upon filtering?

I think NurdRage mentioned in their Manganese Dioxide synthesis that one of the side products was sulfuric acid. If that's true, then this might be something to check out.

Catalyzed reduction with Mg, production of potassium permanganate, etc.

I took sodium-free salt, and dissolved it in solution. Then, I took some calcium chloride and sodium hydroxide and mixed them to form calcium hydroxide. Then, I placed that in the potassium chloride solution, and faint bubbling was heard.

Righty-o, then. Off to thermite some more oxides!

When the crystals were evaporated (that should have been the first clue right there), they were rectangular salt crystals. I don't think KOH crystallizes in this manner.

So, would ceramic work? Also, are either Mg or Al reactive enough to reduce the ceria?

Yes, I do. Turns out that Ca(OH)2 had no reaction whatsoever. I got cubic crystals and nothing else. Where do I get potassium sulfate?

Er... it's not. The metal is still fairly shiny though, so unless my United Nuclear canister is filled with argon (not likely, it has been tipped over before), this calcium doesn't seem to oxidize as fast as I thought it would. Give it a year or two. I've worked with magnesium and aluminum powders, and these are fairly stable from my viewpoint. If I had an argon tank, this would be really easy. I know a welding store nearby, so we'll see.

You're right, I have sort of pale orange crystals. So much for efficiency, then. I tried the potassium chloride / calcium hydroxide route, and faint bubbling was heard (reaction?) I now have a massive amount of solution that is slowly evaporating to give (so far) clear crystals. Can these be dehydrated through blowtorch or Bunsen burner?

Never mind the t-butanol, a guy just PM'd me with a brand that's about half. Yay! Back to the tetralin synthesis, to wrap up the details. "There is also a published synth using sodium in ethanol to reduce naphthalene to tetralin and then on to decalin. I've actually run this reaction, and yields are a lot higher using a neutral (decane) hydrocarbon with naphthalene dissolved in it, adding sodium, and reducing with ethanol." It says to use decane in the synthesis, but I have no idea where to find that. Would propane work? And what do they mean by sodium? Surely not elemental sodium. As for ethanol, I can use rubbing alcohol (70%) for that. Although it might be better to get a pure sample of the stuff.

I would recommend an insoluble magnesium salt, such as the carbonate, fluoride, or iodide, and hydrochloric acid / salt. Or you could go the other way by making the bromide (somehow), and adding a chloride salt. Seeing as the chloride is less soluble than the bromide, you should get a precipitate if your solution was saturated enough. I can see why you'd want to start with MgSO4, it is a readily available chemical as epsom salt. Here is something else that might work: Get a sparkling water or Sprite or some carbonated water drink and mix a solution of your sulfate with it. It might be slow, but you should see the white magnesium carbonate precipitating out. Filter this out and dry, and add HCl. The carbonic acid reformed at this point is probably going to disproportionate into CO2 and H2O because of acid, but if not then I'm not sure what to do. In any case, boil this down to get your hydrated MgCl2. This is a bit long of a process, but it should work.

If you go to Wiki and search 'alkaline battery', you get the picture attached. Wiki says this is pure KOH. So, I was wondering how to force a battery to leak in that way? Would recharging an AA with a 9V work?

Darn. I found on Wiki that t-butanol is used sometimes as an octane booster, would anyone be able to give me a brand that does contain t-butanol?

Aw... darn. Any other places for t-butanol or t-amyl alcohols?