[dan28029]

Hello,

I just started doing some under graduate research and I'm a bit overwhelmed. We met with a doctor who wants to put a copper coil in a container filled with water in order kill bacteria. The goal is to implement this system in a community in Honduras at the end of the summer. The idea is based on this paper:

 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B75GP-4VP171X-3&_user=9308824&_coverDate=08/31/2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1331738145&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000006998&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=9308824&md5=5528ceb3232803cf2bfb2e9b9cd4da27.

Our task is to determine the rate of increase in copper content of the water to ensure that it will not exceed the allowable copper content set by the WHO (2000 parts per billion) over a period of a few months. Our advisor has told us that he thinks the process is an electro chemical reaction, but he has a very hands-off approach to advising. We spent the day reading texts on electrochemical reactions and tomorrow we are planning on finding and reading some texts specifically on copper corrosion. However, my chemistry knowledge is very lacking (I'm majoring in Mechanical Engineering). I think that the copper would act as the anode, which loses electrons and creates copper ions. Would the water act as the cathode?

Can someone point me in the right direction as to what type of reaction is occurring here and how to find the rate of copper increase?

Thank you,
Dan

[Borek]

I would not call water "cathode", I would rather concentrate on reactions taking place - oxidation and reduction - but otherwise you are almost on the right track. Just not water, but oxygen dissolved in water.