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Having some problems making solutions...

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guruguhan

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Apr 19, 2006
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Hi all,

Two nights ago, I tried to mix some of my own FO instead of buying solution this
time. I started with heating distilled water to
150F, I then poured 55ml into a dropper bottle and added 15g of FO and 2g of
Oxalic acid. I shook it repeatedly for a while, then put it away. Every
hour or so I released some of the gas that had built up in the bottle, and
shook again. I did this for two/three hours. This morning, the rubber on
the dropper had exploded and I had FO all over the place. :smile: Yay for me. I've never read anywhere of a gas being released while making this solution...

I also decided to make some Potassium Oxalate developer that night as well. I didn't have
Potassium Oxalate, so made it from 165g of Oxalic Acid, 165g of Potassium
carbonate and distilled water to 1000ml. I did it twice to make 2000ml, and
only remembered to test the pH afterwards. It was a wopping 11.5! I did something very
wrong somewhere. I added some oxalic acid to bring it down, but after
adding about 50g, and not noticing a change in pH, I stopped. I made some ammonium citrate developer instead.

For clearing agents I was using citric acid, but I have some EDTA
tetrasodium, and EDTA disodium now. Which should I try out first? I have
instructions detailing the mixing for EDTA imodium, is this another name for
one of these two? Or does Imodium have no sodium? How should I mix the EDTA tetrasodium?

Last night, after reading here on APUG that some don't add oxalic acid to their FO solution, I thought I'd try that (since both solutions I made the nigth before using oxalic acid had something wrong with them). This time I also mixed it in a flask using a magnetic stirrer and heated it. It quickly turned into a milky-type solution, and I put it into a dropper bottle. There was no gas being emitted this time either. I was shaking it every once in a while, and noticed the solution separated quite quickly (the milky solution was at the bottom and a clear one at the top). I shook it many times, but this morning it has separated once again.

I'm wondering whether there is something wrong with the Ferric Oxalate I have (bought it from JDPhotochem in Canada). I'm also wonderiing about the oxalic acid (whether its even oxalic acid!) :smile:

Any thoughts/ideas/help is appreciated...I can't afford to have another FO explosion!

Thanks a lot,
Gu
 
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