AR AGITATION USING AN AIR BUBBLER

[henster1379]

Just out of curiosity, what effect would an air bubbler have on an aqua regia solution? Is there an explosion hazard. I was contemplating using one to agitate or stir the powder in the solution. Forgive me if its a dumb idea and thank you for all guidance/advice.

 

[Harold_V]

I'm not aware of any explosive issues, but it may not be the wisest thing to do--encouraging yet more in the way of fumes.

I always used AR hot, so there wasn't a need to agitate much, if any at all. If you're using it without added heat, stirring occasionally might be useful---but I'm inclined to not endorse the idea of aeration.

Harold

 

[Oz]

There is no explosion hazard I am aware of either.

Much depends on the thickness of the gold you wish to digest. Without knowing what feedstock you have, it is hard to give advice.

If you are a patient man/woman there is actually no need for the nitric in AR in order to digest gold if you are using a bubbler of atmospheric air. The oxygen in our air will eventually do the same job as nitric. The nitric is only the oxidizer in AR and any excess nitrates become something that must be removed before precipitating chloride based PMs if used in excess. Having said that, just air bubbled into HCl is substantially slower than proper AR.

Another corollary is AP (acid peroxide); you can use just HCl and a bubbler with no need for the H2O2 additions. Bear in mind that AP is typically only used for thin plated materials. It all depends on your need for speed. As a hobby, slow and inexpensive is best. If you need to make an income on your materials in time to pay bills, use the nitric.