# New to refining... Nitric acid subsitiute? Cell refining.



## Anonymous (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello to all and thank you for the plethora of knowledge. I live in California and it is difficult in my area to purchase nitric acid. I bought the DVD Silver Refining A-Z and it has been rather helpful and saved me at least 500$ compared to purchasing the shor unit.

I had read somewhere in the forum that common table salt/rock salt was being used as an electrolyte rather than a dilute of nitric acid. Is there any other chemical than can be used other than silver nitrate? Is there a way of forming silver nitrate without using acid?

Thank you.


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## lazersteve (Nov 22, 2010)

The salt cell is for karat gold items, not silver.

You can purchase silver nitrate salt for the electrolyte instead of making your own.

Steve


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## IGutYa (Dec 14, 2010)

i have used kno3 in water as an electrolyte & had no problem deplating it. the problem i have now is recovery.

the ceramic i am recovering from dissolves in medium-strong acids, and it is the ceramic i need as is. so i found out from a person on utube that kno3 + water will work, so i tried & it did. suppose to make AgNO3, but it is mixed in water & kno3. i used copper & stainless steel to plate out the silver (i think) or i totally jacked it up =).


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## kadriver (Dec 16, 2010)

Try these people to order some nitric acid:

www.artchemicals.com

Their number is 510 637-8707, ask for Elizabeth, she is very helpful.

i do not know their location. 2.5 liter bottle of 70% technical grade nitric acid is $114 including shipping charges.

They have a 1 liter bottle for about $44, but the hazmat and shipping charges are still about $50 for either size.

I don't see any way of refining precious metals without nitric acid.

Hope this is helpful to you.

kadriver


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## Buzz (Dec 16, 2010)

I cannot believe the prices you guys are having to pay for Nitric! :shock: 

I just bought 25Ltr of 70% for £50 (about $78).

Why is it so expensive in the US?

Buzz


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## jimdoc (Dec 16, 2010)

I think the major factor is hazmat shipping charges.It wouldn't be as bad if one could find a local source,but many places don't want to sell it to an individual.And it seems the only places most people can find are not local,therefore the high shipping charges.

Jim


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## goldsilverpro (Dec 16, 2010)

I just bought two 55 gal drums of nitric for a total of $380 - that's $3.45/gallon or $.91/liter. All you need to get those prices is a business. Of course, the drum deposit was $800/drum.


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## qst42know (Dec 16, 2010)

Someone has come out of retirement? 8)


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## goldsilverpro (Dec 16, 2010)

qst42know said:


> Someone has come out of retirement? 8)



Couldn't stand it any longer. I missed having purple hands and the smell of aqua regia in the morning.


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## Palladium (Dec 16, 2010)

Back for the sequel hugh Chris. lol


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## Harold_V (Dec 17, 2010)

goldsilverpro said:


> qst42know said:
> 
> 
> > Someone has come out of retirement? 8)
> ...


Best of luck to you, GSP! 8) 
I'm retired and happy to be. I don't miss refining in the least (although I sure as hell miss my fume hood. It had many uses, some of which are sorely missed). 

That's a good deal you got on the nitric. I was paying $207 for a 55 gallon drum many years ago. It pays to know where to shop. 

Harold


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## goldsilverpro (Dec 17, 2010)

Univar. They are part of Van Waters & Rogers and are in about every city. They also haul waste acids, etc.


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## ORCB (Jan 28, 2011)

goldsilverpro said:


> I just bought two 55 gal drums of nitric for a total of $380 - that's $3.45/gallon or $.91/liter. All you need to get those prices is a business. Of course, the drum deposit was $800/drum.



Wow, I haven't even gotten around to purchasing nitric cause I'm still trying to understand the chemistry, but I've priced it and that is really cheap! I think you could bottle it up and sell it in smaller quantities on Amazon (there is some on there, so I assume it's allowed under some circumstances) for major markup.


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