Series of reactions

[TomVader]

Hand hits forehead; I just realized where the hydrogen went. Two hydroxide ions broke up, making one water molecule and leaving one oxygen atom to bond to the copper. No bubbles.

 

[solar_plasma]

I heated my copper hydroxide solution on medium heat on a hot plate. The light blue gel changed into a fine black powder,

That is very interesting. I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing!

 

[TomVader]

The process was spelled out by butcher earlier in this thread, but I missed it. I'm still learning about chemical notation. (l) liquid. (aq) aqueous. etc.

 

[butcher]

As you learn more about these chemical equations, and how the chemistry works and its laws, this opens up many possibility's of reactions you can create, or when reactions are created by the reactions of recovery and refining, it gives you Ideas of what you can use byproducts for, the understanding of the chemical equations and how they work can even help you in determining what is in solution, or ways to change one metal salt into a different metal salt, like for example using heat to drive off one acid from a metal salt dissolved in solution to form a different metals salt with an acid of different volatility or boiling point, or cementing a metal out of solution with another metal higher in the reactivity series, converting a metal salt to elemental metal with an acid and a metal higher in the reactivity series (like the chemistry we use in converting silver chloride to metal powders using iron and dilute sulfuric acid), you do not really need to understand the chemistry to be able to recover and refine metals, but with learning more about the chemistry side of this work it opens a whole new world of uses, understanding and possibility's, helping us to better understanding how things work, and how we can or cannot make something work and even in troubleshooting our problems.

 

[TomVader]

Slowly but always forward. Reading time is limited for me, (work, kids, parents, maintaining the house, etc.) The chemistry is fascinating by itself, the PMs are an added bonus. This is the most interesting and challenging hobby I've ever tried. I started down this path with the idea of making money, that's still a possibility, but is now secondary. With the help of this forum, wikipedia and C.M. Hoke, I look forward to many years of learning this art/science.