Electrodeposition of copper from pure cupric chloride hydrochloric acid solutions

Electrodeposition from CuCl2–HCl media has been investigated to establish a clean and direct method of copper extraction from cupric chloride solutions purified by anion exchange. The major difficulties of the process – cathode corrosion, CuCl precipitation and roughness of the deposit – were taken into consideration. To prevent contamination, no chemical agents or additives were used in the electrolyte preparation. The workable range of electrolyte composition was approached from a computer aided stability study of the different aquo- and chloro-complex copper species. Experiments suggested that coordination of the fundamental electrolysis parameters can ensure acceptable copper deposits and current efficiencies. A special method of agitation proved effective in improving the conditions.