Silver won't cement out onto copper from silver nitrate

[bes8718]

I dissolved about 180g of sterling silver in nitric acid and everything was fine. It was all clear but when I added some distilled water it became hazy and cloudy and the silver won't cement onto the copper. The bar would just be clean or have very little layer of white stuff on it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Spaceships]

Maybe the distilled water wasn't distilled water. You might have a bit of AgCl in there. Can you filter it back to clear again?

 

[Yggdrasil]

I dissolved about 180g of sterling silver in nitric acid and everything was fine. It was all clear but when I added some distilled water it became hazy and cloudy and the silver won't cement onto the copper. The bar would just be clean or have very little layer of white stuff on it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.View attachment 61856

I agree with Jon.
But it should still cement.
Check your pH, cementing requires the solution to be acidic if it is Nitrates.
How did you dissolve the Sterling?

 

[Spaceships]

Can you please post a pic of your copper bar?

 

[bes8718]

I agree with Jon.
But it should still cement.
Check your pH, cementing requires the solution to be acidic if it is Nitrates.
How did you dissolve the Sterling?

Dissolved the sterling in Nitric acid

 

[bes8718]

Maybe the distilled water wasn't distilled water. You might have a bit of AgCl in there. Can you filter it back to clear again?

The water I used was the same I used to dissolve it in the first place so I'm confused how it couldn't be distilled. I'll try filtering it and see what happens

 

[bes8718]

Can you please post a pic of your copper bar?

This is the copper bar after being in the solution for 15 seconds

 

[Yggdrasil]

Dissolved the sterling in Nitric acid

What is the pH?

 

[Yggdrasil]

View attachment 61859
This is the copper bar after being in the solution for 15 seconds

For your own sake, get the tools out of your lab or your chemicals out of your workshop.
Any tools and metals in the vicinity of the Chemicals will corrode pretty fast.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Dissolved the sterling in Nitric acid

What was dissolved, flatware or other?
Might there have been a small amount of soft solder on it?

 

[Swissgoldrefiner]

Dissolved the sterling in Nitric acid

It shows that you are in UK and i suppose you do it in your garage.
Weather there should be cold, so the reaction dosent really start.
You show picture of copper bar after 15 seconds. Heat a little the solution and let the bar inside overnight.
Take care, you will have some NOx comes out when you ciment out, so do it some where with good ventillation.

 

[cejohnsonsr1]

Don’t forget that the silver nitrate solution has to be diluted to prevent passivation. Also, judging by the cloudiness, I don’t think your water was distilled. That looks like silver chloride to me.

 

[kurtak]

For your own sake, get the tools out of your lab or your chemicals out of your workshop.

If he has a fume hood running in is work area corrosion wont be a problem especially if the fume hood runs 24/7

I had tools in my lab that never left the lab for 10 years & they never corroded

Kurt

 

[bes8718]

It shows that you are in UK and i suppose you do it in your garage.
Weather there should be cold, so the reaction dosent really start.
You show picture of copper bar after 15 seconds. Heat a little the solution and let the bar inside overnight.
Take care, you will have some NOx comes out when you ciment out, so do it some where with good ventillation.

You've solved it! Heated the solution and the silver is cementing like normal. Thank you!

 

[bes8718]

For your own sake, get the tools out of your lab or your chemicals out of your workshop.
Any tools and metals in the vicinity of the Chemicals will corrode pretty fast.

Alright noted, thanks