Power supply

[Shadsu]

Can someone explain the link between voltage and current in the electrolysis process?
Having a look to Kepra methods to produce gold, it's written to use 300 ma for elektrolysis
https://www.cgcsforum.org/index.php?topic=757.0
Nothing written about voltage, I remember some posts of Kepra where he explains that for his experimentations he used 30 volt, and in some other internet websites they explains that higher voltage is better for a little particle size.
Reading the methods of Kepra it looks like if the current is more important than voltage, and it must be costant.
Is it better if I will use higher voltage or it's unusefull in your opinion?
If I use more current what succeeds ? The process is quicklier or I will have a bad product?

Is there a current and voltage parameter? For example current per cm2 ?
If I use 1cm 1mmwire or I use 4 cm 1mm wire current and voltage have to be the same or they change?


I' m so sorry for my dummy questions but I have not idea how to work..and many doubts. Be patient.
I have many other questions but this post is not the right one to ask.

Thanks to everyone

[Shadsu]

First of all thank you for the answer,
If I understand well I need two different types of led driver, one for silver, costant current and one for gold, costant voltage.
1- I remember I red one of your post and you explained that the voltage must be optimal over 30 volt for gold and if understand well it's the same if I use 30 or 60, is it so?
2- relative to current , the optimal current must be 300 ma like you write in your methods , it's not important if it's not costant. But if use more current for example 700 ma, what's  happened? Is the process quicklier? I ask because in some posts you wrote to someone that his product was ok even if he used 1a, but you didn't explained nothing else.
3- the current has to be proportional to the distance between electrodes? Is there a law I can use ?
4- looking for led driver I don't know why but I find only drivers with costant current and the voltage is between a range. I'm not an expert and I dont understand if using a driver 45-60 volt 500 ma costant, and using always the same distance between electrodes it will work with approximatively always the same voltage , for example 50 volt. Do you know it?
5- when in your methods to produce gold, you write current and time to have if I dont remember wrong 40 ppm...it means I presume that modifying current, the time must be also modified to have the same ppm. Is it right?
6-can I understand the size of the particles from the color? Following your methods do you know which size will I have? I red that red color indicate a particle size under 100 nm, but how to know if we have 10, 20,30 nm?

Thank you in advance

[Shadsu]

First of all thank you for the answer,
If I understand well I need two different types of led driver, one for silver, costant current and one for gold, costant voltage.
1- I remember I red one of your post and you explained that the voltage must be optimal over 30 volt for gold and if understand well it's the same if I use 30 or 60, is it so?

Any voltage high enough to get a high current is good enough.  I used 30 volts because thats what I had.  If I had had 60 volts, I would have used that.  You do not need an led driver.  Just voltage source above 30 that can handle the current.so?

What do you mean when you writes handle the current? that I have the possibility to decide how many ma to use? In this case I have to look for something completely different than I was thinking

3- the current has to be proportional to the distance between electrodes? Is there a law I can use ?

No, it doesn't.  If anything, it should be higher for larger anodes.
so?

Which is the right quantity of anode must be submerged? Working with your methods with a wire 0,5 mm ?

5- when in your methods to produce gold, you write current and time to have if I dont remember wrong 40 ppm...it means I presume that modifying current, the time must be also modified to have the same ppm. Is it right?
6-can I understand the size of the particles from the color? Following your methods do you know which size will I have? I red that red color indicate a particle size under 100 nm, but how to know if we have 10, 20,30 nm?

Ruby red is between 10 and 20 nm.  Its the capping agent (maltodextrin, karo, etc) which determines particle size, not current.  Gold always leaves the anode 1 atom (ion) at a time, and grows as it is reduced.  Capping agents stop the growth.
The amount of sodium chloride which determines ppm, not current and time.  The process stops when the chloride runs out, or is converted to sodium hydroxide from the electrolysis.  Further electrolysis produces only oxygen and hydrogen gas.

if I understand  well using a gold anode I will be able to have gold ions in water only if in the same water there is chlore, in any form. Without chlore the gold ions doesn't move from the anode, and I elektrolyze only the water or other substances present in the water.
Or maybe the ions move but only to deposit themselves on cathode? In this second case it would be important use the right time only to avoid the loss of gold in the deposit on the cathode.

[kephra]

What do you mean when you writes handle the current? that I have the possibility to decide how many ma to use? In this case I have to look for something completely different than I was thinking

Get a lab type adjustable power supply capable of 3 amps and 30 volts.  You can get these on ebay, amazon, etc for under $100 US.  Set it to maximum current and voltage.
Submerge about 1 centimeter of your gold wire.  Use a 2mm diameter copper cathode submerged as far as possible.
Turn on your power supply, and and adjust your gold anode up or down in the water to get 300 to 400 milliamps of current.  That would be your starting point.  Experiment from there.

[Shadsu]

I understood. Thank you for the answers, I have other questions, but I open an other post , I don't want be off-topic.