# Electrolysis of copper/silver nitrate solution



## runninfarmer (Jan 6, 2011)

Sorry if this has been answered before but lets say I dissolve sterling silver with nitric acid to get a solution containing copper nitrate and silver nitrate. If I use an inert anode and silver as a starting cathode, will only silver plate out on the silver cathode with the right amount of voltage? I was wondering if any copper would plate out on the silver cathode? 

Or, if I use sterling silver as an anode and silver as a cathode with silver nitrate as the electrolyte, will I be able to plate only the silver out on to the silver cathode? What if copper nitrate is used as the electrolyte?


Thanks for the help!!


----------



## Sucho (Jan 6, 2011)

i think you can use two inert electrodes (carbon), carbon anode and silver cathode and i think that refineries using stainless steel cathode

in my opinion, cement silver with copper ( 990 + ), melt silver powder and make an silver anode, use silver cathode plate of high purity,use electrolyte of AgNO3 and HNO3, use specific voltage etc.
your purity will be +9999

check Faraday laws


----------

