Gold precipitate not brown

So this is my first post here, i've already looked all over the forum to see if i can find the question i have already answered. Im using the hcl+bleach method to dissolve gold and then precipitate with sodium bisulfate. The first round i did, the gold precipitated as a brown powder and quickly fell to the bottom. The last 3 rounds i did, the gold precipitated as a very shiny gold glitter. Is this normal for it to be shiny like this as a precipitate or does it have impurities to cause it to shine like it does? Might be a stupid question, but i'd rather be sure.

When, for any reason, the gold crystals pass a certain size, the "true" color of gold is shown. Same as with oxalic acid precipitation. Nano-gold can have brown, red, even blue hues. Therefore your idea is correct: there is some surfactant in the solution

Sodium Bisulfite-----not bisulfate---

UtahBassAngler, are you refining in your house?

What could be mixed with them to make them a shiny gold color? I made sure i rinsed the foils and filter them so they are clean before dissolving. I am refining everything out of my garage, all in a designated spot.

Everything metal in your garage is in danger of oxidation even the metal not in your designated spot.

When gold is (oxidized) (loss of electrons) we say it is dissolved into solution, the acid is reduced (gain of electrons from gold), reducing the gold (gain of electrons) each gold ion becomes a metal atom with a full shell of electrons, these gold atoms join together to form a heavy enough particle or cluster of atoms for us to see and to overcome the gravity in solution to precipitate.

Gold can colloid, here the reduced gold clusters of atoms do not grow large enough for us to see, the cluster of gold atoms here will not become large enough to precipitate, in fact, they become electrically charged of different polarities and repel each other in solution, this repulsion of clusters stops them from joining and can keep the reduced gold in solution (even after hundreds of years), you cannot precipitate it, you cannot test for it in solution, because this gold is already reduced and cannot be reduced with our testing reagents, or with any of our reducing agents...
How big the cluster of gold atoms gets is what gives different colors to the solution or different colors of colloidal gold solutions.
Colloids give the Tyndall effect with a flashlight.

Gold can precipitate at different colors, normally black when impure to a light tan brown when the precipitate gold is purer. I have seen several times when gold will precipitate as small gold color powders, much more gold atoms and more bonded together...

Lino1406 said:

When, for any reason, the gold crystals pass a certain size, the "true" color of gold is shown. Same as with oxalic acid precipitation. Nano-gold can have brown, red, even blue hues. Therefore your idea is correct: there is some surfactant in the solution

Click to expand...

Is this surfactant a ligand of some sort and possibly introduced through some additive within the bleach?

James

So what I'm getting at here is larger clusters of atoms formed larger and created the gold appearance? Does this mean its more pure due to the bright color? I use the basic bleach from walmart, the great value brand. And the muratic acid from lowes which is around 33% if that helps. Even after precipitation, and a large drop, stannous test still shows strong positive. Thats all with heating to evaporate chlorine and sitting for 24 hours. I do not know of any additives in the bleach that could cause problems either. Still trying to learn the chemistry behind this process so bear with me

From past memories bleach once contained chromates