CopperIIChloride...Help

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R

rex01

Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
Messages
11
Hello friends, I'm trying to prepare CUCL2 for my etching process but I'm having challenges.I'm using Samuel-a's method since I don't want to dissolve gold foils using hydrogen peroxide since this is my first time. I prepared Aqua Regia solution in the ratio of 20g HCL and 5g Nitric acid. Boiled for a while then stopped the heat to add 10g of clean copper,heat again then stopped heating and allowed it to cool to room temprature. At the end,the solution gained a green colour yet the copper did not dissolve into the solution. Please I'm I doing something wrong? and how do I make it right if yes? thanks. Rex
 
The process you are doing is wrong or rather waste of chemicals.

Read here in the forum more about Cu2Cl it only needs patience, HCL and air bubbler to make is work.

You could have just use the nitric your spent for the refining process.
 
edit due to double post sorry i dont know whats happening during submitting it seems not successful when in fact it was already posted already
 
There is NO NITRIC ACID in C2C (AP) process ! Cover your clean fingers in HCl and give it a 'splash' of Hydrogen Peroxide to get the process started. Then just keep bubbling air through. After a few days to a week you will have clean fibreglass and a whole lot of little gold foils floating around.
 
Okay guys, thanks. But what quantity of hydrogen peroxide and HCL should I use? the closed cut fingers weigh 180g. Also just to let you know I used the green solution hoping it was CuCl2 alongside HCL and applied air through an air bubbler but gold foil was etched for almost 2days.I think I did not prepare the cucl2 well (it's another process though) but I will use your process though. Thanks just tell me the quantity of chemicals needed..cheers. Rex
 
Thanks just tell me the quantity of chemicals needed
Click to expand...
Ok, I'll bite.

HCl: Enough to dissolve the mass of copper involved.
H2O2: None. If you have added any CuCl2 at all, you now have the copper ii chloride process already taking place.

Two days is generally not long enough.
 
Jason thanks. However my confusion is that when preparing the CuCl2,the copper wires I used did not dissolve instead gave up the green colouration into the solution. So I want to know if that's okay, or must the copper dissolve during the CuCl2 prepaqation? though I'm already using the solution,yet I'm not sure that's CuCl2. You could help me out Jason.
 
Most beginners use way too much acid, and too much everything else. You may be the rarity who has gone the other way. I could be wrong... without getting the calculator out, 10 grams of copper sounds a bit much for that amount of acid to consume.

That green is not algae; it came from dissolving copper. At least until the acid was spent. Assuming you're still using the originally described solution, my *guess* (for I am not well experienced in nitric) is that you now largely have copper nitrate from the nitric you mistakenly added, plus maybe still some free HCl. But in any case once the AR has completely stopped dissolving copper it follows that it will not dissolve gold either.

HCl alone does not dissolve copper. But it will dissolve oxidised copper. In simple terms (many steps skipped), Cu + HCl + O2 will eventually end up with CuCl2, which dissolves more copper. You don't really need to dissolve your 10g, as you have a bunch of fingers to dissolve instead. And there's plenty of copper in there if you're patient. With probably more HCl and certainly more time, it should get there. I would respectfully suggest you could spend some of that time reading.
 
Thanks so much for all off your replies......today is the second day and finally many foils indeed were etched out. And the colour of the solution now is very deep green almost black. So many foils floating when I lift up the strainer. I think I'm on the right path, all I needed was patience.

Thanks all. I will post pictures of my progress

Rex
 
rex01 said:
Thanks so much for all off your replies......today is the second day and finally many foils indeed were etched out. And the colour of the solution now is very deep green almost black. So many foils floating when I lift up the strainer. I think I'm on the right path, all I needed was patience.

Thanks all. I will post pictures of my progress

Rex
Click to expand...

That sounds like good news. Remember to store the AP solution when you are finished with this batch, then just re-use with a little added HCl for the next batch. I like to remove my fingers from solution when about 90% of the visible fingers have been removed. I then use a spray bottle to remove any foils still attached to fingers. Leaving it too long only etches copper, which is just a waste. (Just to explain, there is no problem with leaving the fingers in there as long as you want, even months won't hurt the gold foils, just use up excess acid by etching copper)
 

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