Experimenting with Electrolysis: Mystery of Yellow Water

[Stratosphere]

So, today I was bored and decided to play around with some water and electricity. I took a 9v battery and attached 2 steel wires at both terminals, then I attached 2 steel screws to the ends of the wires. I used a bit of NaCl to speed up the process too.

When I placed the electrodes in the water, only the anode was producing any gas, while the cathode was doing absolutely nothing. After several seconds (maybe 45 or so) the water turned a yellow color (almost like chlorine) and has small suspensions inside it. What happened? The yellow color couldn't be cl₂ could it?

Maybe the steel reacted strangely with something in the water?

Maybe the Cl is reacting with the iron cathode?

 

[janhaa]

this is the most common and important electrolysis. at the anode Cl^- are oxidized to yellow Cl_2 (g). at the cathode, the halv reactions involves water molecules, which are easier to reduce than sodium ions. the cathode will forme hydrogen gas. so the solution around this electrode becomes basic

 

[Borek]

Chlorine is not that soluble in water to not evolve, and even when dissolved, it doesn't substantially change water color. Sounds to me more like you have been dissolving electrode material.

 

[Stratosphere]

Chlorine is not that soluble in water to not evolve, and even when dissolved, it doesn't substantially change water color. Sounds to me more like you have been dissolving electrode material.

Yeah, I think you're right, I changed the electrodes to carbon, which has eliminated the problem, now I'm getting H₂ O₂ at the correct places now.

So what do you think happened? The chlorine was reacting with the iron forming iron (III) chloride?

 

[LudusRex]

I would first want to commend your curiosity and willingness to experiment. However, it is important to approach experiments with caution and proper safety measures in place. In this case, using a 9v battery and steel wires can be potentially dangerous and I would advise using proper equipment and following safety protocols in future experiments.

Now, onto the results of your experiment. It is possible that the electrolysis process caused the water to turn yellow due to the production of chlorine gas at the anode. This could explain the small suspensions inside the water as well. However, it is unlikely that the yellow color is solely due to chlorine gas, as it usually appears as a greenish-yellow color. It is possible that other compounds in the water, such as minerals or impurities, reacted with the chlorine gas to create the yellow color.

Furthermore, it is possible that the steel wires and screws reacted with the water and contributed to the yellow color. This reaction would depend on the composition of the steel and any impurities present.

In conclusion, the yellow color of the water is likely a result of a combination of factors, including the production of chlorine gas and reactions with other compounds in the water. It is important to carefully analyze and document all aspects of an experiment in order to draw accurate conclusions. I would recommend conducting further experiments with proper equipment and safety measures in place to better understand the results.