I inserted electrodes directly into a bucket to electrolyze saltwater. Why is there no sodium chlorate?
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I put saltwater in an aluminum bucket. . . . Then insert the two electrodes directly. . . Graphite produces chlorine gas. . . Copper electrodes produce hydrogen gas. . . Electrolyze for a few hours like this. . . Evaporate the electrolyzed solution to dryness. . It was found that the crystals inside were not sodium chlorate. . Why can’t it be electrolyzed?
The electrolysis of sodium chloride produces sodium hydroxide, chlorine, and hydrogen. Since chlorine can react with sodium hydroxide solution to form sodium hypochlorite, sodium chlorate as mentioned by the original poster is not obtained. Chlorine dissolves in cold and dilute sodium hydroxide solution to produce sodium hypochlorite, sodium chloride, and water ； Note that when chlorine is dissolved in hot and concentrated sodium hydroxide solution, sodium hypochlorite is not formed; instead, sodium chloride, sodium chlorate, and water are produced. What the building owner needs for sodium chlorate is chlorine gas and a sodium hydroxide solution. The method used by the original poster, which involves evaporation, is not feasible; sodium hypochlorite decomposes when heated to produce sodium hydroxide and oxygen.
I controlled the solution temperature at eighty degrees for electrolysis. . . It’s hot. . . It should be sodium chlorate when reacting with chlorine gas. . . The evaporation of the electrolyzed solution is carried out through slow evaporation and crystallization under vacuum at low temperatures. . Not heated
The solution you are referring to is a sodium chloride solution. The requirement for producing sodium chlorate is a concentrated sodium hydroxide solution. In the case of sodium hydroxide produced by electrolyzing sodium chloride, its concentration is not high at the initial stage; it increases later on. Chlorine gas generated from the electrolysis of sodium chloride is also necessary for this process to take place. I’m not an expert, so I’m not sure what the specific concentration is.
You’re really proactive; be careful not to get choked by chlorine gas
This post was last edited by GyTTX on 2017-10-7 at 14:29. The anodes used in industry are made of titanium with a coating, while the cathodes are made of 20# steel. The temperature ranges from 60 to 80 degrees, and potassium dichromate is added to the saline solution