# Questions on Dissolving Platinum and its Recovery



## relpub3 (Aug 23, 2007)

Hi, all. Please assist in the answers of these questions. Thanks

1. Will the Hcl + chlorox also dissolve platinum, palladium and rhodium ?

2. Will the Hcl + peroxide also dissolve platinum, palladium and rhodium?

3. If the answers are yes, how do you recover them from solution? Ammonium chloride and sodium chlorate?

4. Do you need to heat up the solutions for the platinum sisters to dissolve. This is because platinum will dissolve more easily in hot AR.

5. What would be the better way to precipitate rhodium out of the above solutions assuming it is digested.

Thanks again.

Alberto


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## lazersteve (Aug 24, 2007)

Alberto said:


> 1. Will the Hcl + chlorox also dissolve platinum, palladium and rhodium ?
> 
> 2. Will the Hcl + peroxide also dissolve platinum, palladium and rhodium?
> 
> ...



Alberto,

I have only done limited testing with AP and HCl-Cl on the above mentioned PGMs here's what I know:


 In theory HCl-Cl should dissolve Platinum and Palladium. I'm not sure about Rhodium. I have a very small amount of known Rhodium I can do some tests with. I have dissolved Pd with HCl-Cl. I have not tested HCl-Cl with Platinum.

 I have my doubts that AP will effectively dissolve Platinum or Rhodium, but it may in fact work under the right conditions and given enough time. All the Palldium you see me working with to date was dissolved using room temperature AP.

 I can only answer for Palladium. Yes Ammonium Chloride and Sodium Chlorate with a hot concentrated solution. You can watch me do this reaction on my website with the 'Precipitating Palldium' video. This will be included on my PGM DVD soon.

 It is my experience that if you are going to dissolve any of the PGM family of metals you must use heating to achieve dissoluiton.

 I have not applied these techniques to Rhodium yet. I will post on the subject when I get around to the reactions and as time permits.

Steve


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## relpub3 (Aug 24, 2007)

Thanks Steve,

Your answers will help a lot of refiners. I believe in the years to come, the platinum sisters will become even more expensive (relative to what they are today) than gold values. 

Gold is primarily a jewelry item but platinum sisters get used up by industry and so prices will increase over time.

All budding refiners should give more attention to platinum in their learning experiences. Don;'t wait till prices go up through the roof to start learning.


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## aflacglobal (Aug 24, 2007)

A man with a vision. I like that. :wink:


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