# Can anyone tell me if this is Rhodium



## pena4250 (Jul 24, 2013)

This is my first post and I have done a lot of searching on this site before posting. All of you are very smart in your craft and I have learned a lot, but I cannot determine if this is Rhodium, its about 22 grams worth, non magnetic, the large piece I held to a Map torch for about 8 minutes and turned the color you see, did not melt. Thanks for your feedback. By the way it does not react with any acid.


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## lazersteve (Jul 24, 2013)

Did you melt that material into the form shown in the photo, or did you receive it this way? Do you know how the metal or alloy shown was melted into it's current form?

Rhodium tests can be found in the General Reaction lists of the forum, in the Guided Tour link below.

Here's the wiki article on Rh

Wiki Rhodium

Pure Rhodium should not oxidize when heated normally, so it should not discolor. Pure Rh is attacked slowly by hot, 85%+, sulfuric acid forming a dark red-brown solution that will test positive to stannous chloride.

If I were a betting man, I would say it's not Rhodium, but proper testing may prove it contains some Rh (or not). The reason I say this is that the material is not shiny enough to be Pure Rhodium and the surface discolored when you heated it.

Steve


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## pena4250 (Jul 24, 2013)

Thanks for the response Steve and yes I received it in that form and no I do not know how it got into its present form, I bought it off Ebay last year listed as an unknown metal from a Pawn Shop going out of business, I paid like $19 for it.. I will check out the link you provided and try and figure out what I have....


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## Lou (Jul 24, 2013)

Most likely not. Stuff is a dog to melt.


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## pena4250 (Jul 24, 2013)

Boiled in HCL, no color reaction.


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## Platdigger (Jul 25, 2013)

If you still think it is rh try to fuse some with sodium bisulfate or boil in concentrated sulfuric.
Just be very respectful of the acid.
Then refer to the info Steve gave you to read on how to proceed from there..
Even sodium bisulphate in water will disolve a small amount of rh. Just not sure the steps to confirm rh if you were to try this one.


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## pena4250 (Jul 25, 2013)

Thanks for the info, might try it.


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## Lino1406 (Jul 26, 2013)

If you have a balance, you may fill a glass tube with water to its end.
Gently drop the pieces into it. Weigh the water rejected. Repeat
several times. Calculate density.


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## solar_plasma (Jul 26, 2013)

> If you have a balance, you may fill a glass tube with water to its end.
> Gently drop the pieces into it. Weigh the water rejected. Repeat
> several times. Calculate density.



Once I found a nice trick on the net to measure more exactly: fill the glass only half, weigh in gramm (a), hang the button knotted to a string into the water without touching the glass, weigh in gramm again (b), tare, let the button sink down, weigh again in gramm (c)

b-a= volume in ccm

buttons weight (c)/volume=density

using tare function at all steps can make this even easier, just harder to me to explain in my third language


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