# Rhodium precipitation



## elfixx (Mar 1, 2009)

Which chemical can precipitate Rh from AR?


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## Oz (Mar 2, 2009)

If you do not have other contaminates in solution use zinc, then wash with HCl to remove excess zinc.


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## Irons (Mar 2, 2009)

Don't put Zinc into the AR without first adjusting the Ph. It will reract violently if the Ph is too low.


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## elfixx (Mar 2, 2009)

So, that mean if I process recoved PGM from cat in AR, I should ppt Pd using sodium chlorate, then Pt with ammonium chlorate and then drop the remaining Rh using zinc?


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## jamthe3 (Mar 2, 2009)

I would consider spending twenty five bucks and buying Steve's DVD. On the PRO side, you'll probably save countless time & frustration---not to mention $$ saved on blown attempts. On the CON side, the worst that can happen is you'll make out like a bandit in entertainment value---cheaper than a trip to the flicks!!


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## JustinNH (Mar 2, 2009)

Yeah, Steve's DVD shows how to get the PGMs out of Cats in such a way that you should have 0 or very few questions afterwards, even if you had no other knowledge of PM recovery and refining.


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## Anonymous (Sep 21, 2009)

Just wondering if ammonia formate works well as a precipitant for rhodium....


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## Harold_V (Sep 21, 2009)

elfixx said:


> So, that mean if I process recoved PGM from cat in AR, I should ppt Pd using sodium chlorate, then Pt with ammonium chlorate and then drop the remaining Rh using zinc?


Your sequence is improper. The first precipitation is platinum, using ammonium chloride. When the platinum has been precipitated, you then filter the solution, which is then heated below a boil. Sodium chlorate crystals are then slowly sprinkled to the solution, which will then precipitate palladium. 

When you cement Rh, you will almost always bring down some platinum and palladium as well, due to their reluctance to precipitate fully from solution. They also will refuse to precipitate at all if they are diluted. Work with solutions that are as highly concentrated as you can achieve. 

*Read Hoke!*

Harold


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## markqf1 (Sep 21, 2009)

I recently read an article stating that after precipitating pt with nh4cl and pd with naclo3, formic acid could be used to precipitate the remaining rh.
I haven't tried it yet but, I'm going to soon.

Mark


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## steeranoff (Sep 22, 2009)

your best bet is definitely Steve's video.


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## Anonymous (Sep 23, 2009)

I have precipitated rhodium, palladium, and platinum according to steves way. That is disolve in AR, filter,then soda ash and Zinc precip all 3 sisters. Take that precip dissolve with dilute ar put pt and pd into solution leaving rhodium undigested. I Know how to finish the pt and pd from there. Just woundering a way to finish the rhodium that you did not dissolve with the dilute ar.

Just wondering how clean rhodium will be if i dissolve it with Ar. Turn to chloride and bring ph up.

Just wondering if a better method would be To take the rhodium precip i made with steve process, And fuse it with NaHSO4. Dissolve that fussion in hot water. Turn this sulphate solution to a chloride solution. Precip with ammonia formate (ie.NH4COOH). Dry precip and fuse with Hydrogen/oxygen torch.


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## Lou (Sep 24, 2009)

Try it and see.


Rhodium is not an easy metal to deal with even for experts. It is trivially easy to lose much of your value.

Unlike palladium and platinum, rhodium is something I think people should be content to have as 90%+ pure. It is not worth your effort to refine it (aqueously at least).


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## markqf1 (Sep 24, 2009)

I agree Lou,
Sometimes you can spend thirty dollars worth of time, energy, and materials, to collect only twenty-five dollars worth of rh. :shock: 

Mark


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## lazersteve (Sep 24, 2009)

This is a common problem with most PGMs. They are not as easy to extract and refine with wet chemistry as gold and silver are. 

They tend to follow each other through the refining process. The problem is compounded by the fact that most reagents only partially dissolve or precipitate them. This makes purification a tedious and time consuming process with PGMs.

In the near future I'll be demonstrating another technique to extract PGMs. Lou has been helping me get everything just right behind the scenes and for this I am very grateful to him, Thank you Lou fro his help! 8) 

Everyone should benefit from the gas phase technique. This technique can be costly to get up and running, but from everything I've read and heard, it beats the wet chemistry of PGMs hands down.

Just for fun down the road I'm planning to try my hand at some solvent extraction of PGMs and possibly the use of some Amborane resin I have laying around. 

Bottom line is refining PGMs is not nearly as straight forward as gold and silver for many reasons. Rhodium is perhaps the most difficult of the PGM metals to work with.

Steve


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## Kats12 (Feb 16, 2010)

Hi again

I have some 300g of pure Rhodium (III) chloride hydrate, and calculating content of Rh metal is arround 100g maybe few gram more. Coluld you tell me what would be the best method for dropping out Rh
since the chemical is pure(pro analysi, only traces of others, probably rh would be 99,99% pure!)?
Should i use formate or something else. I'd like to minimise loss of metal of course...
the instructions here are mostly for the impure solutions so I don't want to experiment too much  since Rh is rather difficult metal :-((( ...


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## goldsilverpro (Feb 16, 2010)

I know we're not talking about Rh plating solutions but i believe that magnesium powder is commonly use to precipitate Rh, at near 100% efficiency, from those plating solutions that are made from rhodium sulfate and weak sulfuric acid. I don't think I would try this with an AR solution, however, at least not before all the nitric has been cooked off.


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## Irons (Feb 16, 2010)

Kats12 said:


> Hi again
> 
> I have some 300g of pure Rhodium (III) chloride hydrate, and calculating content of Rh metal is arround 100g maybe few gram more. Coluld you tell me what would be the best method for dropping out Rh
> since the chemical is pure(pro analysi, only traces of others, probably rh would be 99,99% pure!)?
> ...



Why don't you sell it to a refinery as-is. If you precipitate it, they will have to put a sample back into solution to test it and that will come out of your pocket. Save yourself money and time.


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## Kats12 (Feb 16, 2010)

Well I can't .I live in Croatia(not yet part of European union), and the raffinery takes only metals not compounds(and of course they want to pay really low price!!!), and the state doesn't allow free market with pm (the taxes are extremly high) basically you can't buy gold bars in Croatia, and yes I know it's really idiotic!! But what can I do, unfortunatelly I have to live in my country...I was planning to go with Rh to Slovenia or Austria, but I need metal, not compound...


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## Barren Realms 007 (Feb 16, 2010)

Kats12 said:


> Well I can't .I live in Croatia(not yet part of European union), and the raffinery takes only metals not compounds(and of course they want to pay really low price!!!), and the state doesn't allow free market with pm (the taxes are extremly high) basically you can't buy gold bars in Croatia, and yes I know it's really idiotic!! But what can I do, unfortunatelly I have to live in my country...I was planning to go with Rh to Slovenia or Austria, but I need metal, not compound...



Where there is a will there is a way. 

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Don't look at the obsticals find a way to work around them.

Laws are made for a reason but there are loop holes that you can navigate thru.


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