How To Make PURE Copper Sulfate From Epsom Salt

In this video, I show to make copper sulfate from Epsom salt. The copper sulfate obtained is then purified by re-crystallization.
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#Copper #Epsomsalt #HowToMake

[@cranialconstruction2218]

Excellent video! Very clear instructions with a successful outcome. Thanks you!

[@valrousseau7039]

You're welcome. Please, share it!

[@TheMaskedRacoon1]

Cool!

[@hamed8555]

Nice presentation 👍

[@BlueMoonshine]

Thanks. Please, share the video.

[@henrym.5884]

Thanks.

[@BlueMoonshine]

You're welcome. Please, share the video!

[@bearkawiboy6246]

Great video

[@BlueMoonshine]

Thank you, please share it! Also, you may want to check my new tutorial on how to make 95% nitric acid at home from household items: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHmldYuqo5yjoKM

[@NaraYani8]

Gud vid for hobby chemists

[@BlueMoonshine]

Thank you! Please, share it!

[@R462venom]

Thanks for the video tutorial! I didnt know I could do this! Just a note, you can evaporate the solution faster by using a container with a high surface area. A tall thin container will evaporate much slower than a shallow wide container of the same volume.

[@valrousseau7039]

Yes, that's true. Thanks for reminding me of this!

[@peterolsen9131]

i use one of those big pyrex bowls from a turbo-oven with a broken powerhead, nice big cheap pyrex bowl is great for crystalization processes and repurposed broken appliance is green!

[@wakeupartistsofold7918]

great setup and explanation!! Thanks for taking us through the process. May The LORD bless you and keep you.

[@BlueMoonshine]

Thank you! Please, share it on your social network!

[@shahramarya6417]

Nice👍

[@BlueMoonshine]

Thanks for the visit

[@64-bit63]

Nice i came from r/chemistry

[@BlueMoonshine]

Thanks! Please share on your social network, and check my other tutorials.

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

There should be more chemistry principles taught in grade school!! No need to wait till high school. Safety-wise, not all learning has to be hands-on.

[@rignoboy3993]

Very noice video. Does it matter if the clay pot has a protective coating though?

[@BlueMoonshine]

Yes, I believe it won't work with a protective coating. You want the irons to be able to go through.

[@rignoboy3993]

@@BlueMoonshine thanks

[@TheStigma]

Very cool. The crystallization part could also be used to purify any impure copper sulfate you source if there are any additives. Am I right in assuming that the crystallization will happen faster the more seed surface area you provide? This type of ion bridge is really interesting. What would they use in a laboratory setting? Is there anything in particular to look for in a pot? Will any un-glazed ceramic work, or just specifically clay? I don't know too much about pottery materials :P

[@BlueMoonshine]

The crystalization speed will mostly be affected by the surface of the container. The larger the container, the faster the water will evaporate, hence the faster the copper sulfate will have to crystalize in order to prevent an over-saturation of the solution. I really don't know what they use in laboratory. They probably have some specific membranes that select a particular species of ions (charge and size). The clay pot seems to let all ions go through, but it prevents large volumes of fluids from mixing up.

[@BlueMoonshine]

Using a similar setup, you can turn Epsom salt into sulfuric acid if you replace the copper electrode by a lead-dioxide electrode, as I show here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omrMl4ZpqseceMU

[@harrybrown7351]

Terracotta pot is up there with best inorganic semipermeable membranes you can get at home

[@BlueMoonshine]

I believe this is what I'm using in the video.

[@CatboyChemicalSociety]

Iononmer concrete is the true best. made of 1:3 ratio of cement powder and plaster of paris or 1:3 ratio of cement powder to ground up deionizer resin.

[@chuckjim5921]

Quick question for clarification purposes. Crystals formed by bonding to the seed on the thread. If this is a first time attempt, with no seed, do you just place thread from a pencil into the compound liquid to initiate crystallization? Thanks and awesome video! 👍

[@BlueMoonshine]

For the first attempt i don't put anything in the liquid. I just wait several days, the water evaporate and the solution becomes over saturated with copper sulfate, so the crystals will spontaneously appear at the bottom.

[@ryanallen1014]

While the method Blue Moonshine uses to get a starter crystal is viable; another way would be to dip your stir rod into solution and then hold it in the air until the liquid evaporates leaving tiny "starter" crystals in its place. Then just scrape them into the solution and you'll be growing crystals. This a much faster and more effective way in my opinion.

[@EagleOxford]

@@ryanallen1014 Seems Legit. I'm just starting another batch from scratch, so it's a good time to try this. I don't see why it wouldn't give you a bit of a jump on the whole process. If so, I grow Many types of crystals, and use sound to alter their growth, or suspended things like strontium(glow stuff) in them that otherwise gets pushed out. You may be doing me quite a favor here, and WTF didn't I think to do this, I'm usually the "creative solutions" guy.🤷😅 Thanks bub!

[@ryanallen1014]

@@EagleOxford glad I could be of help. I've never heard of altering crystal growth with sound. I can see how it would work though and sounds pretty badass. Is it part of your job or doing it as a hobby? Ive always loved chemistry, but never had a practical use for it until I discovered....e-scrapping. I now make my own acids, strong bases (hydroxides), test solution (stannous chloride) and stuff like ferrous sulfate to precipitate gold out of solution. Pretty basic reactions for the most part but still fun to me and have learned quite a bit along the way.

[@sunoncream1118]

epsom salt to copper sulfate: destroy copper bar to remove magnesium in the pot, and get the blue thing, then blue thing to sulfuric acid = clean clay pot add fresh water, put some titanium Pt coated mesh inside the pot and inverse polarity ... now ure coper plating the copper bar .. sulfur left behing end up as sulfuric acid in the pot

[@kunaldhar6713]

I Tried this At Home, And It Worked, Thanks for the video. but 1 Problem the mgso4 in claypot(Negitive) is turning blue, can Anyone Help?

[@user-lb8do4ew6k]

Try using a graphite cathode

[@kunaldhar6713]

@@user-lb8do4ew6k I am not haveing all that graphite to spare and clean the solution

[@user-lb8do4ew6k]

@@kunaldhar6713 the cathode doesn't degrade, the anode will but only if the voltage is set too high

[@clearz3600]

Great video. I just bought 2KG "100% pure copper sulphate" from eBay which is in no way close to being pure so I need to find a way to purify it without owning a chemistry lab.

[@BlueMoonshine]

So, make a saturated solution of impure copper sulfate, and let it crystalize. As shown in the video.

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

Chemicals, including CuSO4, that kill algae or fungal disease, are toxic to animals, i.e. humans. This is NOT a health supplement (1gram or less is toxic, and adding copper supplements to your diet often overwhelms needed zinc. Just eat a healthy diet!) Avoiding excess algae in water? Try keeping more animal waste out of it. Fresh algae growth is often beneficial; dying algae and cyanobacteria are bad.

[@jakkimanzitti5031]

OK Walter White get making the baby blue.😅

[@dogodogo5891]

very interesting did teracota will eventually corrode?

[@BlueMoonshine]

Teracota?

[@dogodogo5891]

@@BlueMoonshine flower vases

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@dogodogo5891 No they won't corrode.

[@dogodogo5891]

@@BlueMoonshine i just think if probably high concentration OH around vase will make them corrode cause i remember certain ceramic will dissolve at high alkalinity

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@dogodogo5891 I don't know, but the reaction equations that I give are valid only a low concentrations. At higher concentrations, some secondary reactions can take place. So, you should keep the concentrations low during the electrolysis, then concentrate the final product by evaporating the water.

[@PlentyOfColor]

Wouldn’t it work better to have the solution only inside the flower pot and have distilled water on the outside(where anode is) so that only so4 ions will flow though resulting in less impurities? Although your product already looks pure enough

[@BlueMoonshine]

I believe the SO4 ions are too big to go through the pot.

[@PlentyOfColor]

@@BlueMoonshine They flow fine when making sulfuric acid from epsom salt

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@PlentyOfColor Ok. good to know then.

[@mr.unbeatableplays3224]

if you are in the USA use a bit less that have of a cup

[@-taba8777]

I have the exact same setup as you, but for some reason I only make unsoluavble copper hydroxide/carbonate, do you know what I am doing wrong? maybe higher or lower concentration of magnesium sulfate?

[@BlueMoonshine]

Maybe you used a current too high. This can generate secondary reactions.

[@-taba8777]

@@BlueMoonshine yeah will try that but it isnt a secondary product it is the only product, besides the hydrogen bubbles and magnesium hydroxide of course

[@CatboyChemicalSociety]

your membrane is leaking thats why. plug the hole at the bottom of the clay pot or use something else as a barrier IE something with ion exchange properties like ionomer cement. 1:3 ratio of cement powder to gypsum/plaster and casted into a dam/wall then 2 solutions on both sides.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

@@CatboyChemicalSociety I used plain old candle wax

[@ryanallen1014]

@@CatboyChemicalSociety can also make a make a membrane from tyvek soaked in fresh hot agar agar that's had non-ioduzed table salt added....aka the salt bridge.

[@andrealfiansah9432]

How copper is disolving when. Copper has lower Reactivity than magnesium? Is it gold also disolving in copper sulfate with electrolysis?

[@BlueMoonshine]

Copper is dissolving because it is oxidized at the anode (it loses electrons).

[@ceasargaming9041]

hey! I did a similar reaction with a similar setup, but my anode produced a mix of copper and magnesium hydroxides. Any idea why? Also my cathode solution of copper sulfate remained very weak. After a point it looks like copper sulfate production stopped. not sure why this happened.

[@BlueMoonshine]

Did you use a voltage too high, or a different concentration of the Epsom salt? If you did, that could generate secondary reactions.

[@ceasargaming9041]

@@BlueMoonshine hmm mayve, i was using an 18V battery not a power supply...that could be why

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@ceasargaming9041 Yes, 18 volts seems to be a lot, although it depends on the distance between the electrodes.

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@ceasargaming9041 So, if you can't control the voltage, at least can you insert an ammeter and use a separation between the electrodes so that the current is not greater than 1 amp?

[@ceasargaming9041]

@@BlueMoonshine hmm maybe. I dont know too much about electricity and electronics tbh. im very new to electroysis.

[@salvinusjerin-dn7op]

Can we use a clay cup without hole

[@BlueMoonshine]

Sure, we don't want the hole, that's why I put some resin in mine!

[@ClownWhisper]

You need an evaporation dish using a cylinder like that is probably the worst way to allow evaporation you need as much surface area as possible exposed to air. Any simple bowl will do or even a tupperware container, anything would be better than the cylinder

[@BlueMoonshine]

Yes, that's right!

[@Berghiker]

Is the magnesium formed, usable?

[@BlueMoonshine]

Probably, but I don't know yet how to purify it or what to do with it.

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

@@BlueMoonshine Interesting, but if a fairly pure magnesium was achieved, it would be highly flammable?

[@TheMilkDistributor]

​@@Lightharvest-dd2bfyes

[@kolejowydolnyslask5684]

Will it work with Ammonium sulfate sollution?

[@BlueMoonshine]

I think so.

[@mw10259]

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH COPPER SULFATE ?@@BlueMoonshine

[@Berghiker]

Where did the magnesium go to?

[@BlueMoonshine]

On the cathode and in the clay pot.

[@jordanrodrigues1279]

The cathode makes hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions. Magnesium hydroxide has very low solubility so it precipitates out on and near the cathode.

[@8h24a10s]

can i use normal salt insded

[@valrousseau7039]

No, there is no sulfate ion in normal salt, so no way to make copper sulfate from it.

[@ibrahemaloqaby1455]

What the composition of Epson salt

[@BlueMoonshine]

MgSO4, it is explained in the video.

[@YY-ei7wk]

do you make nitrate from food salt

[@valrousseau7039]

Food salt is NaCl. There is no nitrogen in it.

[@henryj.8528]

What happens to the residual MgSO4 still in solution?

[@BlueMoonshine]

The concentration of the residual MgSO4 was low, so it didn't crystalized and stayed in solution. If I had waited longer, water would have evaporated and it eventually would have crystalized too.

[@henryj.8528]

@@BlueMoonshine Thanks. Have the setup running now. Fairly slow process. Seems to be working...

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@henryj.8528 Good. Let me know how it turns out!

[@ryanallen1014]

Can you use a salt bridge for this?

[@BlueMoonshine]

I think so, but I never tried.

[@ryanallen1014]

@@BlueMoonshine Thank you for such a quick response! I'm going to try it this morning. I was partially successful with no bridge or membrane, but the solution only turns that turquoise/blue and even after a reduction it still will not crystalize out of solution. I'm guessing it's not saturated enough but I do not see how as I had to hear it considerably and add more distilled water to clear up the solution it was so saturated.

[@sumgai7]

@@ryanallen1014 It's a little hard to understand what problem you had - but when you're talking about *adding* distilled water because "the solution was so saturated", and previous comment about "guessing it's not saturated enough" -- wait, *whaaaaat?*. Something's backwards, here: you get crystals when you take a solution (let's just say table salt in water) and let the water evaporate, i.e. GO AWAY (slowly) -- the remaining salt will begin to crystallize as the water leaves. AND: (pay attention) - that means the solution becomes more and more "saturated"! Think about it: ultimately, all the water's gone, only the crystal remains -- that's not just 100% saturated, but past super-saturated. You may want to look up a bunch of KZbin vids on "making crystals" - something's seriously missing in the way you asked the question.

[@ryanallen1014]

@@sumgai7 I am confused by your statement....I was asking if using a salt bridge would work and that when I tried the electrolysis without one I formed some copper sulfate solution; but the solution was not concentrated enough to produce crystals. So I either need to evaporate more of the solution or let the reaction run longer. I fully understand what saturation means. Thank you for your response and sorry for any confusion!

[@mobmob5944]

@@ryanallen1014 you cant make copper || sulphate from magnesium sulphate (epsom salt) via electrolysis while having the electrodes shorting out at the solution due to not having a membrane. Membrane is there to prevent certain things from leaking and making contact and contaminating the whole experiment

[@Berghiker]

So is there one small hole at the bottom of the pot?

[@BlueMoonshine]

No, why?

[@Berghiker]

@@BlueMoonshine Because these plant clay pots usually have a small hole at the bottom to let out the water when you water the plants.

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@Berghiker Yes, but as explained in the video, I filled the hole with resin.

[@markhopper6754]

Is it profitable to get the copper out of magnisium sullfate

[@BlueMoonshine]

It depends in which country you live. In the USA, it is much cheaper and way faster to buy copper sulfate online. You can also find it at The Home Depot or Lowes as "Root kill". But there are some countries that prohibit the average citizen to buy copper sulfate. In that case, making it from Epsom salt is a good option.

[@markhopper6754]

I mean extracting copper metal for scrap

[@clearz3600]

There is no copper in magnisium sullfate. The copper comes from the metal anode which is already pure.

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

@@BlueMoonshine Thanks! CuSO4 is toxic to plant and animal life. Is that why it's prohibited in some countries? Again, using the word "from" was misleading. Mark Hopper's question is an example of this misunderstanding.

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@Lightharvest-dd2bf I don't know why it is prohibited in some countries. Maybe because it is easy to turn it into sulfuric acid? For the title, it is indeed misleading. I will think of a better one.

[@jimcatanzaro7808]

You can make your own power supply using a old 12v transformer and a voltage board from China look it up on you tube I made it very cheaply on a board of wood and works great

[@dolorescunningam9262]

What is more suitable in the present case is a current supply instead of a voltage supply, and I wouldn't be surprised if @BlueMoonshine is planning on making a tutorial on how to make one.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

I'm using what I think is copper wire but the solution is turning brownish does that mean it's NOT copper wire?

[@BlueMoonshine]

Is the wire clean? Did you clean it with steel wool? If you use copper wire, and a current similar to mine, the current might actually be huge compared to the area of the wire, so this could trigger some secondary reactions. You may want to either increase the amount of wire that is in contact with the solution, or decrease the current, and see if it helps.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

@@BlueMoonshineno I didn't clean it, it looked really clean so I didn't worry and didn't have the powder like some wire has. I'm using a car battery charger with 2x 12v 5w light bulbs in line to keep current around 0.21

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121 So, my only guess is that such a current is too large for the small area of a copper wire.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

@@BlueMoonshine it all worked great, the brown G was the impurities as you said 👍 thank you

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121 Great! I'm glad to hear that!

[@vfromthaburg]

Heaven and hell @10:02

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

This video was misleading because it says it's making copper sulfate FROM epsom salts--which contain no copper. We're a few minutes into this beautifully-spoken video, before we learn there are COPPER electrodes used--and this is the essential source of copper here! The epsom salts are the primary source of the sulfate. If you don't have the electrical equipment already, and your goal is to obtain copper sulfate, and the chemistry process is less important to you, it's probably less expensive to buy CuSO4 crystals at your hardware store.

[@dolorescunningam9262]

The title used by Blue Moonshine might not be the best, but you are completely missing the point with your comment about the cost. The point of this video is (i) to provide a way of making copper sulfate to people who live in countries where this chemical is not available to everyone while Epsom salt is, and (ii) to communicate some knowledge about electro-chemistry. Many students (including mine) appreciate Blue Moonshine's pedagogical videos.

[@VanillaAttila]

Can I make copper sulphate from soaking copper in: 500 ml water 50 ml hydrogen peroxide 1 oz citric acid

[@BlueMoonshine]

No! Neither citric acid nor hydrogen peroxide contain sulfur atoms, so there is no way they could form the sulfate ions that constitute copper sulphate.

[@VanillaAttila]

@@BlueMoonshine ok that makes total sense. What if I put elemental sulphur in the beaker too? I'm trying to make a fungicide for my fruit trees

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@VanillaAttila I don't know what adding elemental sulfur the mixture would do. But if you have some copper oxide (or if you can make some), you can do the following: Burn elemental sulfur in a sealed container. This will produce sulfur dioxide (SO2 ). Then you can bubble this gas into water, which will produce sulfuric acid. Once you have sulfuric acid, you can turn it into copper sulfate as described here: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zysdgdm/revision/3

[@VanillaAttila]

@@BlueMoonshine yeah I saw that one. I'm looking for a simpler solution. Since the water turns blue when I use citric acid I'm thinking the copper citrate could be an effective fungicide. I just don't know how to determine the potency of it since I'm just using copper mesh

[@BlueMoonshine]

@@VanillaAttila Why don't you simply make the copper sulfate solution from Epsom salt, as I showed? It is very easy and Epsom salt is cheap. You don't even need to turn the solution into crystals, I guess.

[@RyanReaganarchangelry]

BOTH BOWLS CONTAIN EPSOM SALT RED POSITIVE WIRE CONNECT TO A COPPER PIPE OUTSIDE OF CLAY POT AN BLACK WIRE ALSO CONNECT TO A COPPER PIPE INSIDE THE CLAY POT. (COPPER SULFATE)(blue)

[@BlueMoonshine]

So what? Why are you repeating something that can clearly be seen in the video? Is your comment intended to me, or someone else?

[@cranialconstruction2218]

What are you saying then? In capital letters? This was clearly explained in the video.

[@notoxygen2904]

not pure copper sulfate, most of it is magnesium sulfate with just enough copper to give it a light color.

[@jebbywaldorf2565]

That’s what I had thought but I wasn’t sure.