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Making
Potassium Chlorate and Perchlorate
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To begin making
potassium (per)chlorate it is very, very important to first understand
the risks and dangers of this very volatile, and in some cases
explosive chemical:
Safety.
Disclaimer: We are not liable for any injuries that occur as a result of using any
of the information contained below. The following is only informational
and should not be attempted at home as serious injury or death could
result. You also agree that you have read and fully understand our full
disclaimer at the bottom of the page and also have fully read and
understand the Safety page.
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Starting Materials: although you will
need some simple tools to construct the chlorate cell the following is
a list of the basic essentials.
- Anode Material
- Cathode Material
- Potassium Chloride
- Chemical resistant container with tight
fitting lid
- Power Source (preferably 3-5 volts with
2-3 amps)
Anode
Material: The Anode is the rod connected to the positive
(+) connection.
- Graphite:
If you choose to make a simple chlorate cell and don't mind some
filtering the best and most affordable choice would be Graphite.
Graphite is easy to find and very cheap, but as mentioned before you
will need to filter the liquid from the chlorate cell after running it
because the graphite erodes very slowly into the cell liquor making a
suspension of very fine Graphite particles contaminating the cell.
Large Graphite rods can easily be taken out of dry cell lantern
batteries.

Graphite Rod Anode
- Platinum:
Platinum is the absolute best for producing chlorates and perchlorates
because it never erodes (well technically it does but is so minimum
that it is not at all significant). Since Platinum does not erode into
the cell liquor there is no need for filtering the solution afterwards
which saves some extra time. Platinum can be used in wire, foil, or rod
form.

Typical Pt Wire Anode
- Lead
Dioxide: Lead dioxide is almost ideal for perchlorate
production but does not work well in chlorate production. Lead Dioxide
anodes are also very hard to come by and most people choose to make
their own using Lead Dioxide taken from car batteries and mixing the
powder with epoxy and rolling it into a small bar to form an
anode.

Lead Dioxide Powder
Cathode
Material: The Cathode is the rod connected to the negative
(-) connection. There are many suitable cathode materials to
choose from including Stainless Steel (which works especially well),
Titanium (which works especially well also), Brass, or Copper.

Stainless Steel Cathodes
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Updates will be added soon
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Disclaimer
: By purchasing or using information from our site,
you
agree to not hold us responsible for any misuse of products we sell or
information we give, or any personal or property damage caused by these
products or information. In other words, if you want to be
irresponsible with use of our information/products, you are on your
own! We will NOT be held responsible for any stupidity, carelessness,
or other disregard for personal safety and caution
when using
our products or information sold/found within this web site.
Any
type of Pyrotechnic device is dangerous if not used
correctly
and with caution. If you need any particular type of
instruction
on how to use any of our products or information, contact us with a
specific question, and we will do our best to walk you through the
steps safely, so that you may enjoy our services to the fullest!
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