Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: Justin_Is_Here on 09/12/2014 09:34:20

Title: How to separate chlorine and water other than by heating?
Post by: Justin_Is_Here on 09/12/2014 09:34:20

Heating results in both chlorine gas and water also evaporates. My chlorine collecting chamber is meant only for chlorine and not water.

Title: Re: How to separate chlorine and water other than by heating?
Post by: CliffordK on 09/12/2014 10:42:58

Be careful as chlorine gas can be a dangerous for inhalation. 

• Heating salt water produces primarily water vapor with the salt (NaCl) staying in the aqueous phase.
• Electrolysis of salt water will produce a mix of chlorine gas + Oxygen gas at one electrode, and Hydrogen gas at the other.
• Electrolysis of dry, molten salt (sodium chloride) will produce essentially pure chloride gas, and pure sodium.

Perhaps there are other ways to make chlorine gas too.

Title: Re: How to separate chlorine and water other than by heating?
Post by: chiralSPO on 09/12/2014 15:21:34

I will also say that chlorine gas is very dangerous. Be extremely careful!

The easiest way to prepare it by the reaction of hydrochloric acid with sodium hypochlorite (or calcium hypochlorite) this is how pool water is chlorinated. This can be accomplished on very small scale (a few drops of each) up to treating Olympic sized swimming pools.

You mentioned a chlorine collection chamber. How much chlorine do you need for your experiment?

Title: Re: How to separate chlorine and water other than by heating?
Post by: Justin_Is_Here on 10/12/2014 10:55:52

I'll need a full jar of 500ml. Yeah, I'll be careful. I've got all protective gears.

Title: Re: How to separate chlorine and water other than by heating?
Post by: chiralSPO on 10/12/2014 12:34:56

Do you know how to do the calculations to produce only as much as you need? What sort of protective gear are we talking about? Will you be working in a fume hood, or some other type of ventilation?

Title: Re: How to separate chlorine and water other than by heating?
Post by: lightarrow on 29/12/2014 09:12:29

Quote from: Justin_Is_Here on 09/12/2014 09:34:20

Heating results in both chlorine gas and water also evaporates. My chlorine collecting chamber is meant only for chlorine and not water.

Maybe you can dry chlorine making the Cl₂ + H₂0 vapour pass on dried CaCl₂, because calcium chloride shouldn't absorb chlorine, according to what I've studied, but I really don't know if it can work.

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lightarrow

Title: Re: How to separate chlorine and water other than by heating?
Post by: SorryDnoodle on 02/02/2015 12:55:36

Quote from: chiralSPO on 09/12/2014 15:21:34

The easiest way to prepare it by the reaction of hydrochloric acid with sodium hypochlorite

This also happens to be among the safer ways of getting chlorine gas, I don't recommend the electrolysis of salt-water or molten salt, firstly salt-water will be very contaminated with oxygen and even hydrogen gas I have noticed in my own experiments.

The electrolysis of NaCl is quite dangerous, unless under an inert gas to begin with the sodium is going to explode from the extreme temperature required and from my own tests you need quite a good setup with carbon electrode and a good cruicible which has connections for gas exchange to be able to do this "safely" and even with a good setup the inert gas -such as nitrogen- will contaminate your chlorine.