What is the concept of electrolytic copper?
Blister copper (containing 99% copper) is pre-made into thick plates as the anode, pure copper is made into thin sheets as the cathode, and a mixture of sulfuric acid and copper sulfate is used as the electrolyte. After electricity is applied, copper dissolves from the anode into copper ions (Cu) and moves to the cathode. After reaching the cathode, electrons are obtained and pure copper (also called electrolytic copper) is precipitated at the cathode. Impurities in blister copper, such as iron and zinc, which are more active than copper, will dissolve into ions (Zn and Fe) together with the copper. Since these ions are less likely to precipitate than copper ions, these ions can be prevented from precipitating on the cathode by appropriately adjusting the potential difference during electrolysis. Impurities that are less reactive than copper, such as gold and silver, are deposited at the bottom of the electrolytic cell. The copper plates produced in this way are called "electrolytic copper". They are of extremely high quality and can be used to make electrical products.
No. 1 electrolytic copper is the standard cathode copper. The national standard GB/T467-1997 standard cathode copper stipulates that the copper plus silver content is not less than 99.95%. No. 1 electrolytic copper (bright copper): my country's national standard GB5231 stipulates: No. 1 electrolytic copper, the minimum (copper + silver) content is 99.95%; No. 2 electrolytic copper, the minimum (copper + silver) content is 99.90%. According to the Shanghai Futures Exchange delivery system, registered copper is divided into two different delivery grades: standard products and substitute products.
