Raw material supplier: Zhangjiagang United Copper Co., Ltd.
Electrolytic copper: blister copper (99% copper) is preliminarily made into a thick plate as an anode, pure copper is used as a thin plate as a cathode, and a mixture of sulfuric acid and copper sulfate is used as an electrolyte. After energization, copper dissolves from the anode into copper ions (Cu) and moves toward 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, dissolve into ions (Zn and Fe) along with copper. Since these ions are less likely to precipitate than copper ions, it is possible to prevent these ions from being deposited on the cathode by appropriately adjusting the potential difference during electrolysis. Impurities such as gold and silver, which are inactive than copper, are deposited at the bottom of the electrolytic cell. The copper plate produced in this way, called "electrolytic copper", is of high quality and can be used to make the company's products.