copper and iron extraction

[hector13]

hello

i have an iron wire that coated with copper .

is there any way to extract copper from the wire fast?

like electrolysis?

i try 2 way:

1- putting the wire in hcl. its work but very slow.

2- electrolysis with a battery core in (-) and the wire in + .but both iron and copper was dissolved.

 

how can i dissolve iron and keep copper!!??

electrolysis way is better if possible!

thanks and sorry for bad english!

 

 

[Suxamethonium]

Do you have access to a spectrophotometer? Perhaps you could set up a copper sulfate solution bath with a pure copper electrode and your iron/copper electrode. Test the solutions absorbance over reaction time. If the blue starts to disappear then iron is starting to dissolve from the electrode and you should take it out.

 

Alternatively you could try 'etching' the copper off using hot ferric chloride or ammonium persulfate. It would probably attack the iron, but if you checked it regularly you would be ok.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Suxamethonium