I appreciate the information but note that:

a. I cannot send my students/readers down to Home Depot to pick up a pound
of copper chloride along with the muriatic (swimming pool grout etch) acid.

b. Now I've got a couple of gallons of etchant to keep around the lab in a
proper container for the next go-around.

BTW, what is the color of the CuCl2 and the HCl mixed together?

Jim



"Dr. Grok" wrote in message
news:doqfg.11456$ho6.769@trnddc07...


For etchant I find that CuCl2 and HCl work very nice -- and it is
especially advantagous to agitate by bubbling air thru the solution
since not only does it agitate but the oxygen in the air helps
regenerate the CuCl2 in situ. You can continue to bubble air thru it
after the etching is done to completely regenerate the etchant.

The reactions:
Etching: CuCl2 + Cu - 2CuCl
Regenerating: 4(CuCl) + O2 + 4HCl - 4(CuCl2) + 2(H2O)

Dr. G.