Experiment 11 - CuSO4

 Cell:

• Cathode:  3.5 cm of exposed 0.25mm Ag wire as close as possible to 1 cm x 2 cm Landauer CR-39 chip
• Anode:  Approximately 5 cm of 0.5 mm Pt wire with Pt screen spot welded on end  
• NO magnets

 Electrolyte:

• 27.5 gm D2O + 0.42 gm LiCl + 0.187 gm CuSO4·5H2O (0.03M CuSO4) 

 Procedure:

• TGP current settings:
  • 0.1 mA for 24 hrs
  • 0.2 mA for 24 hrs
  • 0.5 mA until the solution is clear (generally 14 days or more)
  • 1 mA for 24 hrs
  • 5 mA for 24 hrs
  • 10 mA for 24 hrs
  • 25 mA for 24 hrs
  • 50 mA for 24 hrs
  • 100 mA for 24 hrs

Etch:

• 6.5M NaOH at 68°C for 6 hours

Results (Started on 1.2.07 Ended on...):

• After 24 hours, CR-39 has “pits” on it (Cu/bubbles/damage?) - disappeared after a few more days
• Tracks are clearly present