# Platinum beads



## samuel-a (Jun 8, 2011)

I know some folks around here are eager to see platinum melt.
Truth is, there nothing much to see, the darn thing is just too bright to the naked eye (and camera).

So the next best thing i could do it to take a picture of the resulting shots.
One of the most amazing properties of Pt, is the the way it ball up to a round sphere when melted, unlike gold or silver that puddle down to a shallow pool.


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## skeeter629 (Jun 8, 2011)

Looks VERY nice!


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## jimdoc (Jun 8, 2011)

What is the weight you have there?
I have an Aesar bottle with 1 gram in it (4 little beads), it is surprising to see how small a gram of Platinum is.

Jim


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## samuel-a (Jun 9, 2011)

jimdoc said:


> What is the weight you have there?
> I have an Aesar bottle with 1 gram in it (4 little beads), it is surprising to see how small a gram of Platinum is.
> 
> Jim



Yup.

The first picture is of 3 grams.
The second one is just under 3 grams, I can't remember the exact weight of the second one, sry.


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## element47 (Jun 9, 2011)

What flavor torch did you use to melt your Pt? Nice, btw!


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## Sucho (Jun 9, 2011)

pretty nice melts.
i was working with Pt/Ir/Au alloy and it was impossible to separate Ir from Pt


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## samuel-a (Jun 9, 2011)

element47 said:


> What flavor torch did you use to melt your Pt? Nice, btw!




Thanks.
I using a Propane/Oxy rig.




Sucho said:


> pretty nice melts.
> i was working with Pt/Ir/Au alloy and it was impossible to separate Ir from Pt



Hi Sucho
Have you tried working with slightly dilute solution?


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## Sucho (Jun 9, 2011)

it was 4 buttons from 9 to 11 grams of that alloy, very hard to dissolve. about a half of Ir stays on the bottom of beaker as metallic dust after first dissolution, but it was horrible to get rid of all Ir.
large inpure platinum buttons are nasty stuff


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## nch (Jun 9, 2011)

*samuel-a* 

Thank you for posting! Keep up!


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## stihl88 (Jun 10, 2011)

Props to you Sam, is Pt the final frontier when it comes to refining PM's nowadays?


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## jimdoc (Jun 10, 2011)

stihl88 said:


> Props to you Sam, is Pt the final frontier when it comes to refining PM's nowadays?



I think that will be rhodium.

Jim


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## stihl88 (Jun 10, 2011)

Ahh... Forgot about the humble Rhodium


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## samuel-a (Jun 10, 2011)

stihl88 said:


> Props to you Sam, is Pt the final frontier when it comes to refining PM's nowadays?




Thanks.

In my mind, as Sucho mentiond, is the combination of 2 or more of those sisters metals that might prove most challenging.


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## HAuCl4 (Jun 10, 2011)

Platinum separates completely from Iridium in a relatively easy, kitchen-warrior manner, with the careful and adequate use of lead.

Someday I hope to post kitchen-warrior procedures to separate all 8 metals from one another and to a purity of 999999 or more. I have like 5 down and 3 to go. :shock: 

The only requirement is a properly equipped kitchen, and the will to follow simple instructions. Chemical knowledge and skill are optional, but not required.


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## goldenchild (Jun 10, 2011)

HAuCl4 said:


> Someday I hope to post kitchen-warrior procedures to separate all 8 metals from one another and to a purity of 999999 or more. I have like 5 down and 3 to go. :shock:



Six nines ay?


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## goldsilverpro (Jun 10, 2011)

HAuCl4 said:


> Platinum separates completely from Iridium in a relatively easy, kitchen-warrior manner, with the careful and adequate use of lead.
> 
> Someday I hope to post kitchen-warrior procedures to separate all 8 metals from one another and to a purity of 999999 or more. I have like 5 down and 3 to go. :shock:
> 
> The only requirement is a properly equipped kitchen, and the will to follow simple instructions. Chemical knowledge and skill are optional, but not required.



And pigs can fly!


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## HAuCl4 (Jun 10, 2011)

goldenchild said:


> HAuCl4 said:
> 
> 
> > Someday I hope to post kitchen-warrior procedures to separate all 8 metals from one another and to a purity of 999999 or more. I have like 5 down and 3 to go. :shock:
> ...



at least. :shock:


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## hfywc (Jun 10, 2011)

samuel-a said:


> One of the most amazing properties of Pt, is the the way it ball up to a round sphere when melted, unlike gold or silver that puddle down to a shallow pool.
> 
> View attachment 1
> 
> ...


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## Fournines (Jun 10, 2011)

What would be easier for someone to do in their kitchen:

Refine platinum group metals to 6 nines

or 

Build a Formula 1 Race car from scratch


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jun 10, 2011)

Fournines said:


> What would be easier for someone to do in their kitchen:
> 
> Refine platinum group metals to 6 nines
> 
> ...



Vroommm Vroooommm :roll:


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## Oz (Jun 10, 2011)

Fournines said:


> What would be easier for someone to do in their kitchen:
> 
> Refine platinum group metals to 6 nines
> 
> ...



In the kitchen? Build a Formula 1 Race car from scratch, of course.


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## HAuCl4 (Jun 10, 2011)

E pur si muove. :lol:

in less than 8 hours too... :shock:


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## Palladium (Jun 10, 2011)

He also said

"By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox.”


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## Oz (Jun 10, 2011)

HAuCl4 said:


> E pur si muove. :lol:
> 
> in less than 8 hours too... :shock:


With your use of the famous Galileo quote, are you denying the earth moves around the sun then? Or claiming you can make happen in 8 hours what typically takes 24 hours? Of course you would only say this under duress and coercion as Galileo did.

Kidding aside, I will believe 6N+ in the kitchen when you write such a procedure that is at least plausible in Lou’s eyes. Lou probably has more experience in ultra high purity PGMs than anyone else here.


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## goldenchild (Jun 10, 2011)

Where cobalt toast exists, one can acheive six nines+ in the kitchen.


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## skippy (Jun 10, 2011)

I wanna see six nines done in the kitchen with chemicals from the grocery store! 8)


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## samuel-a (Jun 10, 2011)

hfywc said:


> samuel-a said:
> 
> 
> > One of the most amazing properties of Pt, is the the way it ball up to a round sphere when melted, unlike gold or silver that puddle down to a shallow pool.
> ...




No Sir.
Physically, this is just they way thay are.
Not to confuse with that picture, these are shots (molen metal poured in ice water, which gave it that look).


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## Harold_V (Jun 11, 2011)

goldsilverpro said:


> HAuCl4 said:
> 
> 
> > Platinum separates completely from Iridium in a relatively easy, kitchen-warrior manner, with the careful and adequate use of lead.
> ...


Without wings, yet :!: 

Harold


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## HAuCl4 (Jun 11, 2011)

skippy said:


> I wanna see six nines done in the kitchen with chemicals from the grocery store! 8)



Pool supplies and grocery store are wonderful sources for pure chemicals. You must make your own pure water though. :shock:

Since the last phase is generally an HCl + chlorine or HCl + H2O2, these chemicals can be made in very pure form/ low metal content, at low cost, specially the gases that get dissolved in the pure water. :roll:

Kitchen Warrior techniques are for low amounts in the less than 10 Oz range, and not competitive or practical for large amounts of materials to be refined, as they produce a lot of waste, that most times can be recycled, but not always. 8)

Precipitants like formates or oxalates can be gotten very pure by sublimation and or recrystallization. Not rocket science exactly.

More for intellectual amusement than anything else, and/or to calibrate ICPs... :shock:


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## samuel-a (Jun 15, 2011)

Back to the subject,
I found those Pt melting videos if anyone is interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItZ8dvMw3b4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CQCXDeHLeg&feature=related


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