growing lead crystals

[hermanntrude]

Yesterday, since I'm teaching electrochemistry at the moment, I decided to try to replicate THIS experiment.

 

I had some pure lead sheets, which I tore up to make electrodes. It worked beautifully, and I had none of the troubles with the strange material from the anode, which to me suggests that Woelen's hypothesis that the material is to do with the impurities in his electrodes is correct.

 

I'll take some photos one day perhaps maybe.

[UC]

Yesterday, since I'm teaching electrochemistry at the moment, I decided to try to replicate THIS experiment.

 

I had some pure lead sheets, which I tore up to make electrodes. It worked beautifully, and I had none of the troubles with the strange material from the anode, which to me suggests that Woelen's hypothesis that the material is to do with the impurities in his electrodes is correct.

 

I'll take some photos one day perhaps maybe.

 

I did this with some stannous chloride solution with tin anode and graphite cathode and it works great as well.

I got something similar to that strange stuff, which i think had to do with the breaking of electrical contact with some crystals (the solution was still acidic to prevent hydrolysis) and small amounts of antimony in solution.

[hermanntrude]

Yeah I was just thinking this'd work with any metal with a solution of the same metal, wouldn't it?

 

copper crystals must be beautiful

[YT2095]

I`v done the Tin crystals (like curved sabers) I think I may even have posted some pics of it on here somewhere (2005), I`v done the lead under a microscope never on a large scale, so I would Really Like to see those pictures of your results!

 

Copper for me has always turned out as a pink spongey mass, if someone has a Working method of making them I`d be willing to give it a try

 

I think someone on here did some cool Bismuth crystals too, I forgot whom (sorry).

[hermanntrude]

I made bismuth crystals. You don't need electrolysis for that, though

[YT2095]

aha, yes it was, appologies, my memory suck!

 

anyway, here`s the post with the Tin crystals you may like: http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showpost.php?p=270737&postcount=93

[hermanntrude]

could you send me a Pm or post here to explain exactly what you did to get the crystals? did you dissolve the SnCl2 in HCl?

[YT2095]

yeah, here`s the entire thread url: http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14245

probably an idea to grab a notepad and pencil and jot down the steps, as it`s more of a working-journal than a specific recipe, it may well work with Other similar metals too, eitherway, it`s not a bad read, with plenty of good facts (esp from Woelen) and it`s done using really simple reagents and equipment

 

if you have any questions After, lemme know and I`ll do my best to remember, I can`t really replicate it again for you (I would ordinarily) because I`m plenty busy here atm what with expecting a new baby soon and Lab relocation shortly after.

[hermanntrude]

Ive been looking at my inventory and a table of reduction potentials. It seems I may be able to reduce some cobalt and perhaps cadmium too in a similar manner (i have both nitrates, and I think their potentials are low enough that the water won't get electrolysed first)

[YT2095]

I kinda cheated there, I bought my Cd and Co, although I Have tried extracting them NiCd batteries and Minerals respectively to no avail in the past.

I may try again though, I know quite a bit more now than I did before, and have a Fully stocked Lab at my disposal whereas I didn`t before.

 

Please, Post your results as when you get some, Pictures make it all the more Valuable too

 

edited to add: Please be careful with Cd and it`s salts, beyond being Toxic as a heavy metal, it`s also a carcinogen!

[hermanntrude]

I kinda cheated there, I bought my Cd and Co, although I Have tried extracting them NiCd batteries and Minerals respectively to no avail in the past.

I may try again though, I know quite a bit more now than I did before, and have a Fully stocked Lab at my disposal whereas I didn`t before.

 

Please, Post your results as when you get some, Pictures make it all the more Valuable too

 

edited to add: Please be careful with Cd and it`s salts, beyond being Toxic as a heavy metal, it`s also a carcinogen!

 

thanks for letting me know. I knew it was nastily toxic but i didn't know it was a carcinogen. I have people who deal with waste for me so i guess it makes no difference except it'd be more expensive. All I have to do now is actually locate my cobalt nitrate and my cadmium nitrate. Just because the database says it's there and the stores are in "alphabetical" order, doesn't mean the stuff is actually locatable on this plane of existance

[Patrick Henry]

Pure carbon crystals would be nice.

[hermanntrude]

Pure carbon crystals would be nice.

 

goes off to elecyrolyse some calcium carbide

[inuhbad]

Thanks for posting this, Hermanntrude!

 

I've got plenty of lead on hand and I'm always trying to find more possible reasonable uses for it! This could be a fun experiment!

 

I might also take a peak into the Calcium Carbide experiment as well! Can you post some stuff on that if you try it??? Sounds like fun!

[hermanntrude]

inuhbad, I'm sorry to say that I was totally joking about the calcium carbide. I suspect if you tried to electrolyse it'd catch fire or something.

 

Patrick was, of course speaking about diamonds when said "crystalline carbon" and of course you can't make those using electrolysis

[inuhbad]

Aaaaaaaaah!

 

You should've posted that YESTERDAY so I don't look like such an april fool!

 

Sorry, I'm just SERIOUSLY not thinking right. I've got a hardcore case of brainfry from doing calculus all day for some site engineering junk on a couple projects. I'm leaving for a vacation soon, so naturally I've got to finish all my work before I leave. It's 8:15 PM, I'm still @ work, and I've got about 2 days more work to finish by 5 PM tomorrow.

 

I need to go home & drink some distilled potato juice with an olive in it or something!

 

My WIFE would really love me if I could figure out a way to make Crystalline Carbon via Electrolysis!

[UC]

Aaaaaaaaah!

 

You should've posted that YESTERDAY so I don't look like such an april fool!

 

Sorry, I'm just SERIOUSLY not thinking right. I've got a hardcore case of brainfry from doing calculus all day for some site engineering junk on a couple projects. I'm leaving for a vacation soon, so naturally I've got to finish all my work before I leave. It's 8:15 PM, I'm still @ work, and I've got about 2 days more work to finish by 5 PM tomorrow.

 

I need to go home & drink some distilled potato juice with an olive in it or something!

 

My WIFE would really love me if I could figure out a way to make Crystalline Carbon via Electrolysis!

 

You can actually, but nothing you'd be able to make a ring from. Diamond-like carbon coatings are available under certain conditions by electrolysis of alcohol solutions, and poly-(hydridocarbyne) (a precursor to lonsdaleite (hexagonal diamond)) can be prepared by electrolysis of bromoform in acetonitrile with a salt (LiBF4 perhaps) added to aid conduction.