Ferric chloride

[2sisoko]

Hi,

I have to mix ferric chloride solid (there are like a mini-balls) with water.
I have 2 easy questions, In the pot there aren't the proportions that i've to use, someone knows?
and.. could the water be from the tap or it's to be distilled water??


thanks in advance!

 

[alfa88]

Anhydrous Ferric Chloride

Do a Google search on Anhydrous Ferric Chloride (Dry). You'll find more info than I can give.
I've used regular tap water but I suppose you're supposed to use distilled water. Find a suitable container. label it and you can reuse it a couple more times. Dispose of properly.

 

[shrtrnd]

I don't know what you're doing, but you always use distilled water when mixing chemicals, because you don't know what-all is in tap water. (Chemicals, minerals, whatever).

 

[alfa88]

What can I say, I guess I'm just a cowboy. Anyway I use the premix stuff 99% time. The 1st Google link I saw DID spell out distilled water.
There is a non ferric chloride method using hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide out there and it's touted as infinitely reusable but getting the acid these days might prove difficult and it seems alot more risky.

 

[(*steve*)]

There are a couple of alternatives.

One of the problems with Ferric Chloride is that the reaction is endothermic. This means that the solution gets colder as it etches the copper. Getting colder also means getting slower. Ferric Chloride works well at higher temperatures, but you've got to be careful how you heat it and keep it warm.

You're probably referring to Cupric Chloride as the alternative. It has a number of advantages -- a big one being that you can re-use it for a long time. The down side is that you need to keep the pH and copper content within reasonably tight limits.

Another alternative is Ammonium persulphate (and I've heard Sodium Persulphate too).

More information here. (And of course plenty more via Google)