# Recovering silver by using copper strips



## hrushi (Dec 16, 2008)

I am a new refiner in field refining silver here i need some help regarding improving my process so that i can get 9990 purity of silver.

Here is description of my process
1) Add 1.5ltr of HNO3 and .5ltr H2O per 1kg of silver.
2) Wait till reaction is over
3) Remove solution and filter using Bucknor Filter
4) Add 9ltr of water per 1ltr of solution
5) Suspend copper strips(rods) over night
6) Remove copper strips and the remaining solution check it by adding table salt to if any amount of silver is present in the solution.
7)Collect all the cemented silver and wash thoroughly by hot water(4-5 times), 100ml Nitric per 10ltr of hot water (2-3 times), hot water(2-3 times), 100ml Ammonia per 10ltr of hot water (2-3 times) and again hot water(2-3 times)
8) melt

Tough i wash it so many times then also i am not able to get purity more than 9930 what should i do and where should i improve so that i can achieve atleast 9990 purity. And i use tap water for whole process is DM water or Distilled water necessary for my process. 

Need help please suggest any remedy
Thank You


----------



## Harold_V (Dec 16, 2008)

hrushi said:


> I am a new refiner in field refining silver here i need some help regarding improving my process so that i can get 9990 purity of silver.
> 
> Here is description of my process
> 1) Add 1.5ltr of HNO3 and .5ltr H2O per 1kg of silver.
> ...


I question the need for such a large amount of dilution. There is no harm, but you must handle far more solution. You can achieve success without any dilution at all. I would suggest you experiment with less water. 



> 5) Suspend copper strips(rods) over night
> 6) Remove copper strips and the remaining solution check it by adding table salt to if any amount of silver is present in the solution.


If you leave the copper in contact with the solution long enough, you can achieve total extraction. If you choose to do so, using a gloved hand, the cemented silver should be well stirred, then more time allowed for the silver nitrate that may have been trapped in the already cemented silver to be cemented by the included copper. I also see no need to suspend the copper, which can be simply placed in your container on end, so the entire length of the material is exposed to the solution. 



> 7)Collect all the cemented silver and wash thoroughly by hot water(4-5 times), 100ml Nitric per 10ltr of hot water (2-3 times), hot water(2-3 times), 100ml Ammonia per 10ltr of hot water (2-3 times) and again hot water(2-3 times)


I do NOT recommend you wash your silver with nitric. The finely divided silver will be partially re-dissolved, which is not your objective. If you feel you must wash with an acid, make it dilute HCl, which will remove traces of other elements without dissolving any of the silver. 



> 8) melt
> 
> Tough i wash it so many times then also i am not able to get purity more than 9930 what should i do and where should i improve so that i can achieve atleast 9990 purity. And i use tap water for whole process is DM water or Distilled water necessary for my process.
> 
> ...


At the very least, I would encourage you to observe the changes I noted. I would also suggest to you that in order to insure purity, you should be parting your recovered silver in a cell. Depending on your source, you could be including traces of gold, platinum and palladium in your silver. Parting in a cell would recover those values, and yield a guaranteed higher purity. The reason I mention this is that silver used for inquartation ends up with these traces, and can contain respectable amounts of palladium and platinum if dental alloys are involved. 

My process was far more simple, but I also parted my silver in a cell, as I suggested. 

I recovered silver from pregnant solutions without filtering the solution. It paid no dividends, and was counter productive to my method of operation. Once the silver was fully cemented, I rinsed the cement silver until the rinse water was clear of color, then it was force dried. It was then melted, using only borax for flux. The resulting flux was furhter processed at a later date to recover any traces of silver than may have been absorbed as silver chloride. The silver, once molten, was poured to a cone mold, so the flux could be easily separated after cooling. The resulting button was then melted and poured in an anode mold, ready to be parted in the silver cell. 

While distilled water is the best choice, I used tap water. I was not concerned with the traces of silver that were precipitated as a chloride, for they were recovered at a later date. 

Only distilled water is used if you make electrolyte for a parting cell, however. That eliminates the need to filter the solution. 

It will be difficult to achieve 999 silver without electrolytic parting. 

Harold


----------



## qst42know (Dec 16, 2008)

In your step #7 wouldn't the nitric wash and the ammonia wash dissolve finely divided silver?

It would seem to me you would be loosing silver at each of these steps.


----------



## hrushi (Dec 17, 2008)

First of all thank you very much for taking out time and helping me out.



Harold_V said:


> I question the need for such a large amount of dilution. There is no harm, but you must handle far more solution. You can achieve success without any dilution at all. I would suggest you experiment with less water.



I add more water as when i add nitric and water it increases the temperature of solution which helps to increase the speed of reaction. What should be ideal proportion nitric to silver.



> If you leave the copper in contact with the solution long enough, you can achieve total extraction. If you choose to do so, using a gloved hand, the cemented silver should be well stirred, then more time allowed for the silver nitrate that may have been trapped in the already cemented silver to be cemented by the included copper. I also see no need to suspend the copper, which can be simply placed in your container on end, so the entire length of the material is exposed to the solution.


as i am adding salt after i remove the copper rods there is no need to wait for long. when i wash cemented silver then the silver nitrate comes out and i add salt to it. If i place less amount of copper rods in the solution the there will be two things
1) copper will erode very fast 
2) increase in time



> I do NOT recommend you wash your silver with nitric. The finely divided silver will be partially re-dissolved, which is not your objective. If you feel you must wash with an acid, make it dilute HCl, which will remove traces of other elements without dissolving any of the silver.



I wash with nitric as if some amount of copper that may be present will get dissolved in it and some fine silver will also re-dissolved. My objective is to gain more purity then any thing else. Will the dilute HCL remove traces of copper. 



> At the very least, I would encourage you to observe the changes I noted. I would also suggest to you that in order to insure purity, you should be parting your recovered silver in a cell. Depending on your source, you could be including traces of gold, platinum and palladium in your silver. Parting in a cell would recover those values, and yield a guaranteed higher purity. The reason I mention this is that silver used for inquartation ends up with these traces, and can contain respectable amounts of palladium and platinum if dental alloys are involved.


Suerly i will note the changes you have mentioned but I dont have any control on my sources as they are many i purchase scrape from them and refine it and sell. Regarding other elements present i filter it very well using bucknor funnel so i think that their traces are also gone.



> My process was far more simple, but I also parted my silver in a cell, as I suggested.
> 
> I recovered silver from pregnant solutions without filtering the solution. It paid no dividends, and was counter productive to my method of operation. Once the silver was fully cemented, I rinsed the cement silver until the rinse water was clear of color, then it was force dried. It was then melted, using only borax for flux. The resulting flux was furhter processed at a later date to recover any traces of silver than may have been absorbed as silver chloride. The silver, once molten, was poured to a cone mold, so the flux could be easily separated after cooling. The resulting button was then melted and poured in an anode mold, ready to be parted in the silver cell.
> 
> ...


According to me there are some chlorides and sulphates present in the tap water and as silver is very sensitive to chlorides and sulphates the impurities are added


> It will be difficult to achieve 999 silver without electrolytic parting.
> 
> Harold


Can the purity 9970 or 9980 be achieved


----------



## hrushi (Dec 17, 2008)

qst42know said:


> In your step #7 wouldn't the nitric wash and the ammonia wash dissolve finely divided silver?
> 
> It would seem to me you would be loosing silver at each of these steps.



Ya its true but with that i can get rid of other elements present


----------



## butcher (Dec 17, 2008)

I am not much good with silver but if I wanted to do it I would reread this post, take the advise then use silver cell as suggested, I dont think high purity would be that difficult, but I could be wrong.would not be the first time.


----------



## goldsilverpro (Dec 17, 2008)

I think you're at your limit for processing silver cemented on copper. You're very lucky to get 993 Fine. BTW, how do you know your silver is 993 Fine? I have grave doubts that you have 993 silver. If you want pure silver, get a silver cell. Period.


----------



## Harold_V (Dec 19, 2008)

hrushi said:


> I add more water as when i add nitric and water it increases the temperature of solution which helps to increase the speed of reaction. What should be ideal proportion nitric to silver.


Not in this case. You clearly stated that you added 9 volumes of water to one volume of silver nitrate solution. There is no advantage in adding so much water---all you do is increase the amount of affluent you must deal with. That was my point. As for proportions of nitric/silver, I'm not sure where you're going with that question. Regardless of the amount of nitric you add, it will dissolve silver until it is exhausted. In such a case, assuming you added only a small amount of water, yes, diluting it to some degree is important, otherwise it will grow silver nitrate crystals as it cools. One can easily dissolve 30 troy ounces of pure silver in a liter of nitric diluted with a like amount of water. Such a solution, when cooled, instantly grows crystals. 



> as i am adding salt after i remove the copper rods there is no need to wait for long. when i wash cemented silver then the silver nitrate comes out and i add salt to it.


Wise people don't generate any more silver chloride than they must. Unless you are running a huge volume of silver, there is no advantage to precipitating any of it as chloride. The work involved in converting to elemental silver will far outweigh the small amount of time you must wait to cement the last traces of silver. 



> If i place less amount of copper rods in the solution the there will be two things
> 1) copper will erode very fast
> 2) increase in time


Yes, time will be increased by less copper, but no one told you to use less. You clearly did not understand what you were told. Regards copper eroding very fast, the only losses, assuming you have consumed all of the free nitric, is the copper that is consumed in reducing the silver. You can place any amount of copper in the solution without loss if the silver has been cemented down. 



> I wash with nitric as if some amount of copper that may be present will get dissolved in it and some fine silver will also re-dissolved. My objective is to gain more purity then any thing else. Will the dilute HCL remove traces of copper.


In my opinion, you're wasting your time. You can work yourself to death and not achieve 999 silver as long as you're using copper for recovery. You simply must accept the fact that you must use a parting cell, otherwise you should abandon copper as a recovery process. There are other means to recover the silver. None, however, will be as easy and convenient as using copper, then parting the recovered silver. That process has many advantages, and assures high quality. 



> Suerly i will note the changes you have mentioned but I dont have any control on my sources as they are many i purchase scrape from them and refine it and sell. Regarding other elements present i filter it very well using bucknor funnel so i think that their traces are also gone.


Yes, you think so, but are they? Unless a parting cell is out of the question, for reasons beyond your control, you are working yourself way too hard to accomplish what should be an easy task. Your processing methods are simply not capable of producing what would be considered commercial grade quality. The choice is yours. I am not keen on giving advice that you want to hear, only advice that I think is helpful to you. 



> According to me there are some chlorides and sulphates present in the tap water and as silver is very sensitive to chlorides and sulphates the impurities are added
> 
> 
> > Impurities added? Doubtful. Yes, you will precipitate some silver as a chloride, but far less than you are generating now by using salt prematurely. I see no difference, and the differnce in performance is a non-issue. You eliminate the need to filter by recovering directly after dissolution. A great deal of time is saved.
> ...


Conceivable?

Perhaps. 

Likely? 

No, not unless you have exceptional skills. 

My opinion? You should get serious about what you're doing, and follow accepted practice, or you should find a different way to enjoy your spare time. I'm not very good at knee jerk setups and processes. If a job is worth doing, it is usually worth doing well. Remember, the product you dispense represents you. How do you wish to be known?

Harold


----------



## hrushi (Dec 30, 2008)

goldsilverpro said:


> I think you're at your limit for processing silver cemented on copper. You're very lucky to get 993 Fine. BTW, how do you know your silver is 993 Fine? I have grave doubts that you have 993 silver. If you want pure silver, get a silver cell. Period.



i have verified by Volhards method and sometimes i have got 9975 also


----------



## hrushi (Dec 30, 2008)

I have thought of cementing silver by copper and take that silver and again put it into cell to achive 9999 purity.

Were can i find details how to prepare cell


----------



## goldsilverpro (Dec 30, 2008)

I sincerely doubt that the Volhard titration method will allow you to be that precise. If you came up with 99.3% pure, the final digit (at least) would be in doubt. First of all, the variation of even an expensive, certified, Class A buret is between +/- .02 ml and +/- .10 ml, depending on the size of the buret. For example, the 50 ml Class A buret's variation is +/- .05 ml. Even if you used the entire 50 ml of titrant, the error could be 1 part in 1000. Then there's the standardization of the titrant, the reading of the buret, the accuracy of the scale, alloy variations, slight inaccuracies of the method itself, the end-point, etc., etc. The Volhard method is fast, simple, and reasonably accurate. Just don't overestimate it's accuracy.

It's easy to collect numbers and plug them into a calculator. However, you must also take the numerous significant figures of your procedure into consideration. The number of significant figures in the result will be no better than that of the procedure step that has the least amount of accuracy

For better accuracy, you could use the Guy Lussac method, although it's use is much more difficult and time consuming.


----------



## Lou (Dec 30, 2008)

Argentometric titrimetry is as much art as science. If you do not know what you're doing and how you're supposed to be doing it, then you will not obtain the correct results.

I've done hundreds upon hundreds of titrations--argentometric, redox, complexation, precipitation, and both in gravimetric and volumetric flavors.

For the most part, volumetric titration is a nice and cheap way of doing things and gives reasonable accuracy.

If you want better accuracy, you must do gravimetry and measure the mass of the titrant--with these new scales available today, it's quicker and more accurate than any volumetric titration. There is no glassware calibration, no ridiculous cleaning regimens, no temperature corrections for expansion coefficients (this affects volume, particular for organic systems). You can obtain significantly higher precision with this method. Accuracy is also better too since most balances have sophisticated microprocessors which correct for temperature and pressure changes in the laboratory (which the poor chemist must do himself if he is using a buret).

The Volhard Method is a good one because of the low Ksp of the formed silver thiocyanate. Iron (III) serves as the indicator by forming blood red [Fe(SCN)]2+ at the first excess of SCN-. Obviously this is done in acidic medium to avoid and Fe(OH)x precipitation. Typical Fe(III) concentration is 0.01M, but I've worked out the math and found that you can be in the 1 part per thousand range from 0.002 to 1.59M conc. of Fe(III). It makes good sense to avoid highly concentrated Fe(III) ion and stick to the low end because the yellow color of Fe(III) will make detection of the indicating complex difficult.

Chris, I would say that if you are decently good technique-wise and are using good equipment, you could probably analyze to 1 part in 1000 or less, and anything after that not be significant and worth reporting. This is if you determine the equivalence (rather end point) _by eye_--the human eye can determine just the faintest red of [Fe(SCN)]+2 at 6.3 X 10^-6 M conc. You can go much lower if you monitor conc. based of spectrographic techniques. To approach a zero error and obtain the most accurate result, the color change should occur when the [Ag+] left in solution is very close to equal to the sum total of the two [SCN-] species 
so by mass balance: 
[Ag+]= [SCN-]+[Fe(SCN){2+}]

From there, Chris you see where I am going with it--I can substitute in the threshold conc. for indicator color change into the term on the right (remember that 6.3 X 10^-6 M value).

It is easy now to determine the very least quantity of Fe(III) must be present for a specific total volume in a given titration so that the chemist may see the indicator change at the low threshold. From this can be gleaned the minimum attainable titration error, which theoretically is much lower than 1 part in 1000.


----------



## goldsilverpro (Dec 30, 2008)

The first job I got, after the Air Force, was working for a large company that sold plating solutions and systems. I worked in their large lab and analyzed customer plating solutions (off every type), cleaners, acid dips, etc. I ran about 10-30 samples a day, all containing from 2 to 5 ingredients or variables that had to be analyzed. The cookbook had about 200-300 different procedures. About 3/4 were volumetric with most of the rest being gravimetric. The only instrumentation was a a B&L Colorimeter. This was before AAs were widely used. We even made and standardized all of our solutions. Bare bolts, traditional, elementary, analytical chemistry.

I'm kinda glad that that I learned that way. I think you get a better feel for of the chemistry going on in the solutions. That job only lasted 9 months, but it is what started me out in the plating and refining professions. I loved it. If I hadn't had it, I most likely would have been a nuclear engineer and would have probably been out of a job, at least in that field, for the last 30 years.

All the Ag plating solutions contained cyanide. We fumed a sample (FUME HOOD!!!) with conc. sulfuric, to destroy the cyanide, and then ran a Volhard titration.


----------



## SilverNitrate (Jan 3, 2009)

If all you have is one batch, this won't be of much help, however I don't want to be flamed by the ol'timers of using blenders and mixers and such. but silver is my specialty. You can boild down to concentrate your silver nitrate, allow cool and rinse off with some clean conc. nitric acid. 
Afterwards, mix in about 1/2 vol dry cane sugar, take somewhere out in the open and set a flame to it (burn like slow gun-powder). Depending on how well you rinsed it you'll have 999+ fine silver ready to be melted. ...and with that rinsed off nitric acid make AR and go on and dissolve gold!


----------



## Noxx (Jan 3, 2009)

How to produce pure silver metal:

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=3264


----------



## qst42know (Jan 3, 2009)

Definitive processes like this one, one shouldn't have to go looking for. Could one of the moderators sticky this to the top of the silver category? Easy to reference and easy to point to.

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=3264&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=


----------



## Platdigger (Jan 3, 2009)

In the thread Nox is refering to, Lou wrote this:

"If you fuse your silver nitrate and hold at 425 C all of the lesser metal nitrates will decompose into oxides with the release of nitrogen dioxide. Cool and break up the luna salt cake and dissolve in water, filtering out the base metal oxide residues. This is then reacted with sodium carbonate, filtered, and the precipitate heated to yield pure silver. It can also be melted straight from carbonate."

Sweet... huh.....

Randy


----------



## SilverNitrate (Jan 3, 2009)

> "If you fuse your silver nitrate and hold at 425 C all of the lesser metal nitrates will decompose into oxides with the release of nitrogen dioxide. Cool and break up the luna salt cake and dissolve in water, filtering out the base metal oxide residues. This is then reacted with sodium carbonate, filtered, and the precipitate heated to yield pure silver. It can also be melted straight from carbonate."





SilverNitrate's Original Version of this post said:


> If all you have is one batch, this won't be of much help, however I don't want to be flamed by the ol'timers of using blenders and mixers and such. but silver is my specialty. You can boild down to concentrate your silver nitrate, allow cool and rinse off with some clean conc. nitric acid.
> Afterwards, mix in about 1/2 vol dry cane sugar, take somewhere out in the open and set a flame to it (burn like slow gun-powder). Depending on how well you rinsed it you'll have 999+ fine silver ready to be melted. ...and with that rinsed off nitric acid make AR and go on and dissolve gold!





SilverNitrate's Second Version of this post said:


> This material tend to spatter, good idea to keep covered.
> simpler method. If you purify silver on a regular basis; boil down the silver nitrate to a paste, (if sterling) place in your lab blender or mixer along with conc. nitric acid, thus pulverizing the crystals. vacuum filter then gravity filter with conc. nitric acid until white clean. the filtered with acid can be used later to dissolve more sterling.
> The silver nitrate can be converted to silver by melting it with baking soda
> above 1750F. or turned quickly into silver sponge by burning it with sugar.


----------



## peter i (Jan 6, 2009)

SilverNitrate said:


> If all you have is one batch, this won't be of much help, however I don't want to be flamed by the ol'timers of using blenders and mixers and such. but silver is my specialty. You can boild down to concentrate your silver nitrate, allow cool and rinse off with some clean conc. nitric acid.
> Afterwards, mix in about 1/2 vol dry cane sugar, take somewhere out in the open and set a flame to it (burn like slow gun-powder). Depending on how well you rinsed it you'll have 999+ fine silver ready to be melted. ...and with that rinsed off nitric acid make AR and go on and dissolve gold!



What do you win from that?

If you have pure silver nitrate, it has better uses! If it has "noble" impurities they will stay, and you may loose metal that is blown out by the reaction (basically, it is the good ole potassium nitrate/sugar smoke bomb you make... you just use a rather expensive nitrate instead of dirt sheap fertiliser)

You truly are the master of funny methods!


----------



## SilverNitrate (Jan 6, 2009)

peter i said:


> What do you win from that?
> 
> If you have pure silver nitrate, it has better uses! If it has "noble" impurities they will stay, and you may loose metal that is blown out by the reaction (basically, it is the good ole potassium nitrate/sugar smoke bomb you make... you just use a rather expensive nitrate instead of dirt sheap fertiliser)
> 
> You truly are the master of funny methods!


Did you pay attention to the OP?
its about purifying silver metal, not making expensive smoke bombs or achieving silver nitrate.


----------



## Lou (Jan 6, 2009)

The point he is making is that reducing the silver nitrate to silver that way is stupid. It may be cool to watch, but it is stupid--especially when so many other methods work far better and with far less potential for waste (in this case to do splattering). Also, more heat means more propensity for contamination if this done in a vessel which isn't ceramic or silica and even then, you run the risk of thermally shocking the appropriate vessel and spilling your mixture about. If that was enough, your silver will pick up oxygen if it is formed in a finely divided state giving you a mixture of Ag2O and Ag.


I don't think much of this, but reduce your silver however you feel, it's your silver.


I've even got a better method, but it's only for me and peter to use--we make silver azide and then explode it. BOOM! we're left with pure silver smoke, conveniently wrapped up in hot expanding nitrogen gas!


----------



## butcher (Jan 6, 2009)

talk about wasting silver  sounds fun though


----------



## SilverNitrate (Jan 6, 2009)

A silver nitrate + sugar mixture dosen't splatter the silver, usually it burns slowly with lots of smoke leaving behind a lump of fused silver sponge. (sintered silver powder which can make beautiful silver sculptures)

The burning of silver nitrate + sugar is one very quick & cheap method. My preferred method is silver nitrate + NaOH solution, then add caustic-syurp. (you'll have wet silver). Another is using silver nitrate + baking soda and just melt all together and pour the silver into ingots.
However the method rinsing silver chloride is quite difficult especially if there is copper/nickel mixed there in. also silver chloride is difficult to dry in quantity.


----------



## peter i (Jan 9, 2009)

Lou said:


> I've even got a better method, but it's only for me and peter to use--we make silver azide and then explode it. BOOM! we're left with pure silver smoke, conveniently wrapped up in hot expanding nitrogen gas!



The picture below is from my x-mas lecture last year. It's a good thing to learn the students, that azides should be handled with great care, and avoided if possible.

Notice the different effect of the brisance! Just that little less contact caused by the filter paper reduces the damage on the plate significantly.
50 mg would seriously ruin a finger.

The white layer in the upper crater is elemental silver that is hammered into the copper by the detonation.
(Its not a total loss! Some silver could be recovered)

My high power .22 German airgun (a HW97K) will make smaller dents in the same plate.


----------



## butcher (Jan 9, 2009)

what loss in silver is gained in education.


----------



## SilverNitrate (Jan 9, 2009)

peter i said:


> The picture below is from my x-mas lecture last year. It's a good thing to learn the students, that azides should be handled with great care, and avoided if possible.
> 
> Notice the different effect of the brisance! Just that little less contact caused by the filter paper reduces the damage on the plate significantly.
> 50 mg would seriously ruin a finger.
> ...


I heard of a woman once who does this as a form of art using different explosives including silver azides to fuse with copper. All persons of mankind should not make silver azides because of how easily detonated. 
I once filmed the explosion from 1/2 gram of Ag oxide and ammonia, heated it in a flat-bottom stainless steel pot, and after it went pop. I was amazed how it formed a bowl shape with considerable metal stretching of that pot! 
Though this is off the OP subject, but interesting to know, silver azide is more dangerous to handle than nitrogen triiodide, and the azide will blow even wet with water.


----------



## Lou (Jan 10, 2009)

There are _many _explosive silver salts, but most of those need special reagents (picric or stphynic acid amongst many others).

The three most well known in order of increasing sensitivity are silver azide AgN3, silver fulminate AgCNO, and fulminating silver which is silver nitride Ag3N. 

We are only likely to encounter silver nitride as a result of our processes as it can be accidentally generated from ammoniacal solutions of silver nitrate and silver oxide which have been allowed to sit. Silver chloride will not do this (at least not in my experience nor any that I've read about) but Ag2O and AgNO3 will.


Silver nitride is extremely shock sensitive and so is silver fulminate.

Silver azide, not so much!


----------



## peter i (Jan 11, 2009)

SilverNitrate said:


> ......
> Though this is off the OP subject, but interesting to know, silver azide is more dangerous to handle than nitrogen triiodide, and the azide will blow even wet with water.



No, that is simply not true.
It is quite the opposite. 

Silver azide is used for quite a few purposes (requiring the care any primary explosive does) where an initiator more stable than lead azide is needed.

NI3 on the other hand, has no other use than a spectacular chemical demonstration (initiated by the touch of a feather). It cannot be handled when dry, and sometimes even detonates spontaneously when drying (probably when the cake cracks.... some people in the auditorium were rather surprised ) :?


----------



## Lou (Jan 11, 2009)

As I thought, he was most likely confused with silver nitride or silver fulminate. Silver azide is a common primary, but it's often replaced for cheaper dextrinated lead azide.


Lou


----------



## hrushi (Feb 12, 2009)

For long time i was away from this post as i was busy 

THANK YOU ALL for their enthusiasm and help

I have found that what Harold_v suggested was helpful for me to add less vols of water to sol

Secondly I had read in some post that in green AGNO3 their is possibility of Pd or Fe but I found it not true 

To green AGNO3 just add 2-5% of vols of HNO3 and u will get Royal Blue AgNo3. I think it the gram/ltr of metal content in the sol.

And even if Pd is present how to test it and seperate it from silver


Hrushi


----------



## Sylar (Feb 17, 2009)

Lou, you are forgetting silver nitrate acetylide complex: Ag(NO3)2.Ag2C2
My personal favorite and extremely easy to make. About as easy as precipitating AgCl 

Though not as brisant as the azide, it is ALOT safer (very little impact sensitive, pretty stable overall) and in microgram quantities usable in trick sigarettes! Explodes in single crystal quantities with a sharp crack upon heating!


----------



## Lou (Feb 17, 2009)

I know of it, but I did forget to include it. 

Seriously, how many people sparge their silver nitrate with acetylene? 



By any chance, have you been to sciencemadness before?


----------



## Sylar (Feb 18, 2009)

Yes, but I lurk most of the time.

My chemistry knowledge is far too dodgy to be of any great contribution there. Between work, renovations and a pregnant girlfriend I have a bare minimum of time to spare reading up on threads.


----------

