Patreon Preview - Make Sulfuric Acid by Oxalic Acid Precipitation
Added 2024-06-12 04:22:06 +0000 UTCAnother preview for your consideration. Let me know what you think, and if there are any improvements you'd like to see.
Comments
Copper sulfate is however a lot more expensive than iron (II) sulfate. Other than that I see no problem with it.
Silviu T
2024-06-13 17:25:51 +0000 UTCThis work just like the haloform reaction works (or the Hoffmann rearrangement), because albeit the reaction K is tiny, the fact that one of the product is removed drives the reaction forward. I think the idea of adding a reducing agent might be interesting, but I'd rather use a sulphur based one, like sodium thiosulfate or sodium dithionite. On the other hand, why not try this method with copper sulphate instead of iron sulphate? Copper oxalate is also given as insoluble, and you don’t risk Cu(II) ions oxidation. (EDIT: This reaction is even mentioned on the Wikipedia page for copper oxalate!)
Mono Keras
2024-06-13 06:36:39 +0000 UTCthere is most certainly an exchange of acid protons between various strengths of acids in solution, even if they remain dissolved. The easiest way to prove this is just to look at acid/base indicators. When you have a solution of a certain indicator, and then add an acid to change the pH, the color changes. This is because the indicator itself is getting protonated by the acid as it behaves as a weak base/acid by itself. So even if it doesn't precipitate, there are detectable changes in the molecules in solution. A cool technique a colleague of mine did was to measure pH using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The acidity changed the chemical shifts of the indicator molecule even though the solution was perfectly clear and perfectly dissolved.
NurdRage
2024-06-13 04:03:24 +0000 UTCIs it really a strong/weak acid thing, though? It seems to me that it all revolves around not the strength of the acids but whether either the waste (iron and oxalate in this procedure) or the desired products (sulfate and hydrogen ions) precipitate out so they can be mechanically separated. If nothing precipitates (or effervesces, I suppose) out you just have a mess of ions in solution and haven't "produced" any acid.
Kevin Martin
2024-06-13 02:50:35 +0000 UTC
