# Cold Nitric Acid Recipe



## jmdlcar (May 16, 2012)

If it is possible for me to make can I use it to process Silver or Sterling Silver? Will be to weak to use? What I have so far is (Liquid lightning drain opener) Sulfuric Acid and Diistilled Water. What I don't have is Nitre which I think it is Sodium Nitrate or Potassium Nitrate but which is better to use. Thanks Jack


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## Geo (May 16, 2012)

depends on which process you want to do. potassium nitrate is used in the one pot method, its a pain to get all the salt out. if you want to try Butchers pickle jug method "killing two birds with one stone" sodium nitrate will work for that. which ever process you try always be careful not to breath the red fumes.


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## jmdlcar (May 16, 2012)

I seen where Lazersteve told how to make "Cold Nitric Acid Recipe" and one word was Nitre so I look it up and came with Sodium Nitrate or Potassium Nitrate so that why I ask cause I didn't which was better to use. Butchers is his made the same way?

Here is Lazersteve way.

Reaction:

-Bring 100 mL of Distilled Water in a 500 mL pyrex beaker to 100 C
-Add the Nitre of your choice (202 gm K / 170 gm Na)
-Stir until Nitre is completely dissolved, let cool below boiling
-SLOWLY add 56 mL conc (96%+) Sulfuric Acid to Hot Nitre solution while stirring, DON'T allow the solution to boil! 
-Allow solution to cool to room temp (DO NOT SKIP - VESSEL WILL SHATTER IF PUT ON ICE WHILE HOT!!!)
-When vessel reaches room temp (25 °C) put the vessel in the freezer or on a salt water ice bath
-Let stand until temperature of mixture reaches -5 °C
-Let stand at -5 °C until all precipitate settles
-Pour the COLD solution off into glass container with tightly sealed lid DO NOT POUR OFF ANY OF THE SALT IN THE BOTTOM!!!
-Makes ~160 mL ~50% HNO3


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## Geo (May 17, 2012)

either will work in lazersteves directions, but from my experience, potassium nitrate gives a better quality and yield. 

Butchers method is different. it uses sodium nitrate and sulfuric acid to digest (or dissolve) gold plated pins producing the NO2 fumes that you have to capture in water (or hydrogen peroxide) to make the acid. it makes a cleaner acid that works better with silver. plus you get clean gold foils from your pins when your done. its a little more work to it and you will need two hotplates. one to heat the solution and one to heat water. if you do Butchers method, follow his instructions exactly as he has them written because you will be dealing with hot acids and very nasty fumes. either way is dangerous enough so try and be as safe as you can be. wear gloves and eye protection.


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## jmdlcar (May 17, 2012)

Where is Butchers method I did a search for his instructions and could not find anything.


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## cnbarr (May 17, 2012)

jmdlcar said:


> Where is Butchers method I did a search for his instructions and could not find anything.



Right here, hope it helps 
http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=6199&hilit=killing+two+birds+one+stone


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