Getting the silver out.

[67eod]

I had 26 ounces of silver in the form of small shot. The silver had a high copper content maybe 30%. I placed it in a five gallon pail and added 150ml of 70% nitric acid per ounce of silver. After the reaction stopped there was a thick sludge in the bottom of the pail and the solution was a deep purple color, is this normal? Can I boil the solution down before I try to drop the silver with salt? If it is too thick can I delute it with distilled water? There seems to be way to much sludge for the amount of silver I had. Any suggestions.

Bob Noble

 

[Barren Realms 007]

Sounds like the sludge in the bottom of your bucket is from the copper cementing your silver out of solution.

 

[philddreamer]

I use 38ml of 70% nitric per ounce of silver, mixed 50/50 with water & never had any problems. Droped with table salt or HCI, followed by rinses. Then Lye & sugar & ended up with nice silver.

67eod, did you add dilute the nitric 50/50 with water? If you didn't, maybe that's why the thick sludge.

Phil

 

[Harold_V]

I had 26 ounces of silver in the form of small shot. The silver had a high copper content maybe 30%. I placed it in a five gallon pail and added 150ml of 70% nitric acid per ounce of silver. After the reaction stopped there was a thick sludge in the bottom of the pail and the solution was a deep purple color, is this normal? Can I boil the solution down before I try to drop the silver with salt? If it is too thick can I delute it with distilled water? There seems to be way to much sludge for the amount of silver I had. Any suggestions.

Bob Noble

I suggest you investigate the source of your material to see if it was contaminated with tin. The purple you spoke of is a sign that's part of your problem.

Harold

 

[Palladium]

Could he not just add hcl to it and the silver drop and what's left go into the AR ?

 

[depperl001]

I had 26 ounces of silver in the form of small shot. The silver had a high copper content maybe 30%. I placed it in a five gallon pail and added 150ml of 70% nitric acid per ounce of silver. After the reaction stopped there was a thick sludge in the bottom of the pail and the solution was a deep purple color, is this normal? Can I boil the solution down before I try to drop the silver with salt? If it is too thick can I delute it with distilled water? There seems to be way to much sludge for the amount of silver I had. Any suggestions.

Bob Noble

I suggest you investigate the source of your material to see if it was contaminated with tin. The purple you spoke of is a sign that's part of your problem.

Harold

Hi Harold,
That explains why my stanous cloride is a slight purple colour. How does one remove the tin?
Regards and thanks in advance,
Josef Vavryn

 

[samuel-a]

How does one remove the tin?

the fact that you used 70% nitric may lead to the creation of tin dioxide (SnO2) which can be dissolved with concntrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4)