The Electrolysis of the Halides of the Alkaline Earth Metals.

Abstract

The studies made by Hildebrand and more recently by McCutcheon with the form of cell pictured and described1 and in which the rotating silver anode and mercury cathode are employed, led us to try out certain lines of thought in the same way. For example,• it seemed worth the while to learn just what quantities of barium chloride, let us say, could be elec-

The Mercury Cathode and its Applications.

“…Again it has been reported that barium and strontium have been separately determined by electrolysis in the single mercury cup (32,153,155). In the double cup these elements and calcium, as noted above, pass to the outer compartment but magnesium remains in the inner cup and, if calcium is present, will prevent it from leaving also, at ordinary potentials (33,102,155). Raising the potential sufficiently is said to separate calcium and magnesium (109).…”

“…It has been suggested by others that the alkali metals could be separated from one another (155) using the double cup, and a methtid for the determination of sodium and potassium in mixed chlorides has been proposed (65,109). Further, the ability of certain metals to remain in the inner cup while others, including the alkalies, migrate to the outer compartment, is said to permit the separation of the alkalies from magnesium, or from calcium provided that magnesium also is present (102,109). Similar separations of the alkalies from iron, aluminum, and uranium have also been investigated (109,155).…”

“…Raising the potential sufficiently is said to separate calcium and magnesium (109). This should enable numerous separations to be carried out, both among this group itself and from other elements such as aluminum, iron, the alkalies, and the rare earths (60,102,109,155). The only work done on beryllium involves the removal of other elements such as chromium, iron, and nickel by electrolysis, allowing the subsequent determination of the beryllium (24,27,54,116).…”

“…By the use of a silver-plated platinum-gauze anode the chlorides, bromides, and iodides of the alkaline earths and the alkali metals have been determined (58,65,102,109,153,155,167) and similarly chlorine in hydrochloric acid and bromine in hydrobromic acid (61, 155), although Gooch and Read report consistently low results in their electrolysis of hydrochloric acid (62). In addition to the halides, several other anions including phosphate, ferrocyanide, ferricyanide, thiocyanate, and carbonate have been determined with the silver anode (65,155) and it has been suggested that an anode coated with calcium hydroxide would make possible the determination of fluoride (102,155). Ammonium chloride, bromide, and thiocyanate were electrolyzed in the double cell and both the cation and anion assessed (109, 155).…”