La dissolution de l'anode de cuivre dans les solutions faiblement chlorurées
The dissolution of a copper anode has been studied in aqueous solution at pH 4 and in which the dissolved LiCl was varied between 0.005 M and 0.1 M. In the dissolution zone, the dissolution valence is unity between 0.03 M and 0.1 M and the step controlling the speed of dissolution is almost entirely attributable to the diffusion of CuCl2− ion in solution for the weakest voltage. The order of reaction with respect to the chloride ion (Cl−) is close to unity for voltage close to the reversible voltage (ECu/CuCl) of the reaction Cu + Cl− = CuCl + 1e, suggesting that diffusion of Cl− ions in solution tends also to become a controlling step when the voltage is close to ECu/CuCl.CuCl appears when the voltage reaches ECu/CuCl, that is when the linear sweep voltage curves show two peaks. These two peaks have the diffusion of ions in the solution as their limiting step. The height of these two peaks is explicable by the diffusion of Cl− ions in solution as the slowest step. On the other hand, the ratio between the peak of the second wave and that of the first is 2.14. This behaviour is in agreement with the fact that the valence of dissolution of copper increases from the first peak to the second. [Journal translation]