Wont dissolve in aqua regia nitric or sulfuric acid

Hey everybody. I got some electrical stuff from work. I have determined that it is gold plated by attacking with aqua regia. I am left with a base metal that will not react with aqua regia, nitric acid or sulfuric acid. I need help with identifying this metal or alloy.

Why mess with the "base" metal? Do you feel the "base" metal is a precious metal? Just curious.

If it's truly a base metal, and you can dissolve the gold plating with AR, I'd dissolve the gold, rinse and sell the base metal as scrap, and drop the gold when appropriate.

Dave

At first I thought it may be silver because it resisted attack AG. Now I just would like to know what it is. The only results I have found is it may tungsten. I have alot of it but not enough to make anything on scrap. If it is tungsten then could melt it down to make a good knife blade. I do have enough for that

Curly4185 said:

At first I thought it may be silver because it resisted attack AG. Now I just would like to know what it is. The only results I have found is it may tungsten. I have alot of it but not enough to make anything on scrap. If it is tungsten then could melt it down to make a good knife blade. I do have enough for that

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Good luck with that.......

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-melting-point-of-tungsten


If you really want to know what it is post a picture, or just let everybody know what the electrical items are.

Tig welder Mr.Negative which uses a tungsten electrode so no contamination. Not your average idiot. The only thing is it is time consuming but what is a couple hours.

Sorry jimdoc. I'm an a hole and don't like smart mouths. I'm the one asking for help so I'm apologizing.

Please be a little more respectful. Jimdoc is a knowledgeable guy, and is pretty helpful.

You will find that the quality of the answers you get on this forum is directly proportional to the detail you give in your question, and the respect you give to the people donating their time to answer you.


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Curly4185
I suggest you mind your manners with other members, this forum is not like others.
I Have sent you a private message.
Please respond I would like to welcome you to our forum.

My guess your wasting time with stainless steel springs.

Curly4185 said:

Tig welder Mr.Negative which uses a tungsten electrode so no contamination. Not your average idiot. The only thing is it is time consuming but what is a couple hours.

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Curly4185

Per the underlined ---- lets see here - you just join the forum asking for help & the first thing you do is disrespect one of our most outstanding members (jimdoc) by calling him "Mr. Negative" --- just because you didn't like his answer :shock:


Let me clue you in --- This forum was started February 24th, 2007, 6:10 pm by Noxx - Jim joined the forum March 12th, 2007, 8:42 --- meaning Jim has been here from the very beginning & since then Jim has posted 4,652 post - helping people like you :!:

Not your average idiot.

Click to expand...

maybe not :?: --- but certainly not very smart ether :!:

Now then - in the event you have not yet been banned (&/or you soon get banned for "continuing" to show disrespect to members trying to help you just because you don't like their answers) --- here is my answer

Those are connector blocks from electrical control panels - I know because I used to make electrical control panels for fortune 500 & fortune 200 companies & I have installed thousands of them in electrical control panels


They are stainless steel springs - there is NO GOLD in them - not even gold plating


They wont dissolve in nitric - they will dissolve in AR (aqua regia) but they take a VERY LONG time & the acid "needs" to be hot & it takes "a lot" of acid to dissolve a "little bit" of SS --- they will also dissolve in HCl (muriatic acid) but slower then in AR & again the acid needs to be hot

Now then - I would like to suggest - that if you really want to learn anything about the recovery & refining of PMs (precious metals) from electrical &/or electronic scrap - you start by showing nothing less then the "utter most" respect for the members here that try to help you --- because you have just joined the "absolute" worlds best source of info on PM recovery & refining --- which means - show a lack of respect will make your stay here "short lived" --- which IMO would be idiocy


Kurt

Yep, stainless steel.

What were the characteristics that led you to believe these parts had any precious metals?

I ask because there is always some bit of information that has not been shared. Sometimes that bit is important. Sometimes not.

Time for more coffee.

Thank you for the help and yes Kurt I was in the wrong and I apologized. Whether or not it was accepted don't know. Not going to make excuses for my self I was wrong

Ok so when I attack with AG why does it turns yellow as if there was gold in. Clean beakers and fresh acid.

Don’t abbreviate....AG is nothing, and I think you mean aqua regia. It is yellow colored once mixed. Not sure of the reason....probably the NOx, but I don’t know.




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You need to take some time and read and learn here on the forum and that isn’t meant disrespectfully.
If you had read and studied you would know there is a simple test you can do to verify that you have gold in your solution, to do so you need to make stannous chloride.