# Dissolving Silver



## banjags (Feb 5, 2008)

Is there anything besides Nitric Acid that can dissolve Silver and then be precipitated with a piece of copper? Will AP or hcl and bleach? Don't really wanna used nitric acid if I don't have to.
I am not enitrely sure where I can get nitric in the city I live in. If anyone from Manitoba knows please respond.


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## Gotrek (Feb 5, 2008)

banjags said:


> Is there anything besides Nitric Acid that can dissolve Silver and then be precipitated with a piece of copper? Will AP or hcl and bleach? Don't really wanna used nitric acid if I don't have to.
> I am not enitrely sure where I can get nitric in the city I live in. If anyone from Manitoba knows please respond.



If you own a business and are certified to handle that chemical I can give you some places. You'll have to buy bulk. One is in Brandon I'll dig up the name right now. Also look in the yellow pages we have a couple chemical supply places. They won't sell it to you if you are not qualified and don't own a business. A couple places I'm thinking of offer training though.

I know Simplot opened a plant in brandon to manufacture it for fertilizerapplications. The other company I'm thinking off is in Brandon as well.

EDIT Canexus is the name But looking at their website they may no longer. I'd try simplot if going big, but really look in the phone book there are a few labratory chemical supply places. I deal with Uniscience Labs (Dr. Sadana) and Anachemia


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## Gotrek (Feb 5, 2008)

Anachemia has a good website http://www.anachemia.com/

Uniscience is more geared towards schools and is a smaller outfit.


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## Gotrek (Feb 5, 2008)

I know that Nitric Acid and Sodium Nitrate were supposed to get on the Restricted Components Regulations Act. Now I'm not sure if the act has past though.
Found this

http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2006/20060812/html/regle2-e.html


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## banjags (Feb 5, 2008)

I do have a legal business name but I am not certified to handle chemicals. I guess I may have to resort to steves recipe. unless there is another way to dissolve silver.


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## Gotrek (Feb 5, 2008)

Maybe call Anachemia. They're really good. They should be able to help you out and direct you where you need to go.

Anachemia Science
4-214 DeBaets Street
Winnipeg, MB R2J 3W6
Phone (204) 661-6734 / (800) 361-0209
Fax (204) 663-3421 / (888) 438-

General Information and Sales
[email protected]


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## banjags (Feb 5, 2008)

according to the catalogue nitric acid is like $400 dollars for 500ml??? thats insane.


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## Gotrek (Feb 5, 2008)

Glad I didn't look at the prices that is insane! at 15$ an ounce for silver might as well buy bullion. Good luck with that one...  

Try simplot. sodium nitrate fertilizer = nitric acid... (something along those lines probably reverse the two and insert the correct chemical names)


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## peter i (Feb 6, 2008)

banjags said:


> according to the catalogue nitric acid is like $400 dollars for 500ml??? thats insane.



Then it's probably "ultra pure"

You want "technical grade", and thats a bulk industrial chemical. 
10$ / 500 mL is a more realistic price.


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## Anonymous (Feb 6, 2008)

Prices in Canadian Dollars - VWR

ACS Grade, 86.0 - 70% Nitric Acid

500 mL Poly-Coated Glass Bottle Case of 6, $192.94 - Each (500 ML) $40.22

2.5 L Poly-Coated Glass Bottle Case of 6 , $281.12 - Each $58.61

24 L Glass Carboy Each (24 L) $304.18


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## banjags (Feb 7, 2008)

Prices I got from anachemia in winnipeg are

acs grade 500 ml $22.78
acs grade 2.5 L $44.49
acs grade 4X2.5 L $159.26

technical grade
2.5 L $30
4x2.5 L $101.96

All they require is a vaild drivers license and address information. Business number if you have one.


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## Gotrek (Feb 7, 2008)

banjags said:


> Prices I got from anachemia in winnipeg are
> 
> acs grade 500 ml $22.78
> acs grade 2.5 L $44.49
> ...



There you much more reasonable and much less restricted then buying from a farm supply place.


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## cloomis (Jul 17, 2008)

nobody answered the ? Is there any other chemical process to dissolve the silver and be able to percipate w/copper,but the nitric links are great


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## Junkman Jim (Jul 17, 2008)

cloomis said:


> nobody answered the ? Is there any other chemical process to dissolve the silver and be able to percipate w/copper,but the nitric links are great



Did you ever get your silver disolved, if not try this. Battery acid, you can get it at auto parts houses like NAPA for about $3.00 a gallon if you buy 5 gallons. Stainless steel cathode, silver anode, 4 volts. The silver never gets to the cathode, it oxidizes on the anode then precipitates to the bottom of the cell. Filter it , wash it, and melt it. Sounds too easy but it works. I used this method to strip silverware.


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## Harold_V (Jul 18, 2008)

Junkman Jim said:


> Did you ever get your silver disolved, if not try this. Battery acid, you can get it at auto parts houses like NAPA for about $3.00 a gallon if you buy 5 gallons. Stainless steel cathode, silver anode, 4 volts. The silver never gets to the cathode, it oxidizes on the anode then precipitates to the bottom of the cell. Filter it , wash it, and melt it. Sounds too easy but it works. I used this method to strip silverware.


GSP, you reading this? I'd enjoy hearing your comments. This may be the answer everyone has been looking for regards processing silver plated items. 

No, I never tried it when I refined. I'd have been concerned about transferring copper instead of silver. Perhaps both? No big deal, if so. At least the silver would be highly concentrated, probably very useful for inquartation if nothing else. In a sense, no different from a sulfuric stripping cell, eh?

Harold


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## Lino1406 (Jul 18, 2008)

In hot sulphuric acid, 2-5% as silver sulphate


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## goldsilverpro (Jul 18, 2008)

Harold,

You're right. It just sounds like the sulfuric cell using weaker sulfuric. We all know that the standard sulfuric cell will strip silver in the manner described. Battery acid is typically around 35% but some brands are stronger. There is some threshold dilution of sulfuric where the copper starts dissolving and plating out. I don't know what this strength is since I've never tried it. Of course, if one could develop a workable method using battery acid, it would be a bit safer than using the stronger sulfuric.

Lino,

Hot concentrated H2SO4 is an old method for dissolving the silver in dore' bars.

A hot 95H2SO4/5HNO3 mix will dissolve Ag without dissolving the Cu. For very thin Ag, it can be used at room temp.

Both of these are dangerous and final separation of the silver is difficult. I definitely wouldn't recommend the use of either of them.


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## Lino1406 (Jul 18, 2008)

Is the base of cementation, as well as the
cell you're talking about. As silver oxide
is very soluble in sulphuric I'd try to get it in
the cathode by highering voltage and
to cause it to fall there as silver


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## goldmelts (Apr 23, 2009)

HI all,

This method sound very good. Is there any additional info regarding the weak sulfuric cell for refining silver?

What purity could you achieve is you start with sterling?
Would it work on 50% purity coins?

SO all need is:
-power source
-stainless cathode
-silver anode
-weak sulfuric


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## nicknitro (May 23, 2009)

Quick question,

What about silver acetate. I imagine any concentrations of acetic acid would be low therefore making his dissolveing times longer. I also wouldn't begin to know where to go for further refining to pure silver metal from this salt. Maybe some HCL to produce AgCl and acetic acid again?

What is your source material? It may make a difference in the overall process.

I think sulphuric will become your friend though either way you look at it. Either to make your own poorman's Nitric acid, or to run a sulphuric cell.

Good Luck,
Nick


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## OMG (May 28, 2009)

I don't think acetic acid attacks silver. You would probably have to make it into silver carbonate first, which might be hard too.
I've been reading about ammonium chloride, and I bet if you used the silver as an anode in an electrolytic cell with ammonium chloride and hcl as the electrolyte the silver would dissolve. And then you could precipitate it using copper too.


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## goldsilverpro (May 28, 2009)

You might try it electrolytically, using sodium nitrate in a porous cup.


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## Anonymous (Jul 9, 2009)

Hi All

This is my fist post to the forum so please go easy. I tried dissolved silver in battery acid with absolutely no success, I flowed the direction to the T, as I'm a mechanic I have assess to all of the equipment needed to do this process. I even checked the voltage with a multimeter at 4.0 volts. any ideas on what I cold have done wrong.

Used:
Pyrex baking dish
Battery acid
+ Power to Stainless Steel Cathode
- Power to Silver Anode "Coiled 1mm thick pure silver wire"
4 Volt power supply

Result:
All I got was a bubbling anode, very little if any silver was removed from item after 15 min.  I would really like to get this to work as I have collected a lot of plated silver over the years. so if anyone has any ideas please help!

SILVER CELL PICTURE: http://www.search-nj.com/Pics/Silver_Cell.jpg


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## peter i (Jul 9, 2009)

Normally the metal at the "+" will dissolve, thats a place to start.

Welcome 8)


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## qst42know (Jul 9, 2009)

blnukem 

Concentrated sulfuric is required. Boil your battery acid to about 1/3 its volume. With a solid copper alligator clip go directly to the fork and skip the stainless. Concentrated sulfuric does not attack copper. From what I understand (I have not tried any of this as yet) the silver remains in solution until the acid is diluted into water or is dropped as silver chloride with HCL.


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## Platdigger (Jul 10, 2009)

qst42know 

He is trying to folow what "junckman Jim" posted on the previous page of this thread.

Jim said he used the battery acid "dilute"
Randy


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## qst42know (Jul 10, 2009)

Sorry, I did not go back far enough in the post. 

How many amps will the power box in the photo supply?


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## nicknitro (Jul 10, 2009)

qst4,

Sulphuric will also attack copper, and ssteel slowly. Adding these 2 elements to your bath. They really start dissolveing as the bath heats up from the reactions of the electrolysis. Steve shows it in one of his videos about using a copper mesh for pin gold removal in a sulphuric cell.

The only 2 elements I believe it won't attack are Lead Pb, and Tungsten W. For metals anyways. Funny though I would think PGMS would resist it, no?

Good Luck,
Nick


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## Anonymous (Jul 14, 2009)

qst42know said:


> How many amps will the power box in the photo supply?



The box is adjustable here is the table:

2 volts @ 0.5 or 1.0 amps
4 volts @ 0.5 or 1.0 amps
6 volts @ 0.5 or 1.0 amps

I used: 4 volts @ 0.5 & 1.0 amp


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