Make Sulfuric Acid (Copper Sulfate Electrochemical Method)

How to make sulfuric acid by electrolysis of copper sulfate using an inert anode. Copper sulfate is very easy to obtain in large quantities at gardening and hardware stores and provides a convenient route to sulfuric acid if the appropriate anode can be obtained.

Warning: This should be done in a well-ventilated area as hydrogen gas build up is explosive. Copper sulfate is toxic and sulfuric acid is corrosive, wear gloves when handling them.

The procedure is extremely simple, just get a copper sulfate solution, insert two electrodes and run a current through them. The anode, the positive electrode, must be an inert material that can withstand extremely oxidizing conditions. Very few materials meet this condition, platinum, lead dioxide, and carbon among them. Other metals, even stainless steel, are quickly destroyed under these conditions and cannot be used. The cathode, the negative electrode, is exposed to reducing conditions so the metal requirements are must less stringent. Copper is the best choice here since it has high electrical conductivity.

When applying power, the current should be adjusted so that corrosion at the positive terminal and bubbling at the negative terminal are both minimized. The bubbling at the negative terminal is hydrogen production and that's wasted energy that should have gone into reducing the copper sulfate.

After the solution has gone clear, filter off the particles and the clear filtrate is dilute sulfuric acid that can be boiled down to obtain concentrated sulfuric acid. It will have trace amounts of metals but for most purposes this is not an issue.

Keep in mind that it will take a long time for the solution to go clear. if after filtering it's still blue, you'll need to keep electrolyzing it. You'll need over 60 amp hours of current per mole of copper sulfate, and usually more since the process is not very efficient.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• H2SO4
• CuSO4
• electrochemistry
• electrolytic
• platinum
• carbon
• anode
• lead
• chamber

[kopi0hun]

if copper doesnt react whit sulfuic acid than how do they make copper sulfate?

[NurdRage]

@kopi0hun check my video "make copper sulfate"

[msduckfuck]

why don't you burn sulfur with air, channel the resulting gases through sulfuric acid to dry them, then heat the gases over platinum and dissolve the the result in concentrated sulfuric acid and dilute with water. you need a little H2SO4 to start, but you get twice as much in the end?

[NurdRage]

@msduckfuck I did it this way in the video rather than the way you described because the whole point of then video was to do it this way. Kinda like when drawing a landscape asking "why don't you draw portraits?".... the point was to specifically draw a landscape.

But by all means go and do your method. I'm still keeping this video up though. I like it because it doesn't require a complicated gas-reaction apparatus. The platinum electrode is actually cheaper comparatively.

[StefanB2112]

where do you get a platinum electrode ?

[NurdRage]

@StefanB2112 i got mine off ebay, although i'm trying to see if i can make them.

[ThePinkamina]

This counts as studying for my science exam, right? right?? 

[hellohowareyouiamful]

sorry Cu...

[hellohowareyouiamful]

is it possible to hit the copper sulfate above 650 degrees celcius so CaO and SO3 will be created and then let the SO3 bobble in water to create sulfuric acid

[wetwilly2000]

All right, well I just tested my experiment with the " acid " & It bubbles when I add Sodium Bicarbonate into it, so that tells me it's acidic. All I did, was make copper sulphate with magnesium sulphate with copper electrodes, then converted it to sulfuric acid with lead dioxide & a copper electrode, it would have to be boiled to make it more concentrated. Good luck tho!

[wetwilly2000]

@wetwilly2000 Forgot to mention, there is from what I can see, none of the lead dioxide has dissolved in the mixture. I do not know the SG of the mixture yet. I will test to the acidity by putting some baking soda, or ammonia into it, if it bubbles, it's acid.

[wetwilly2000]

Just my two cents, but... I am doing this as I write this, but instead of using carbon or platinum, I just used a lead dioxide plate from a lead-acid battery, while also using a 19.4V @ 4.2Amp laptop charger, it's been working pretty good, very hot tho. Lead dioxide does work as a anode for this.

[UROSgr]

Could you use a GOLD plated electrode? will it work the same as a platinum one.

[demnlordd666]

sorry kinda off topic, but if you had ammonium sulphate solution (or powder) could you heat it to drive off the ammonia portion making sulfuric acid or would it just break apart into several gasses? (NH4)2SO4 --heat--> 2NH3 + H2SO4 or no, probably just dreaming, but I needed some MgO for a crucible and the ammonium sulphate is a free byproduct. I mean who doesn't like free acid right?