Hi
today, I experienced something very strange. Batch of male pins from old (at least late 80´s) connectors (TESLA brand, made in Czechoslovakia). WK type. Looking very good, nicely golden. As they were mounted in connectors, they have copper "skirt" which fits the pin into the hole.
I had no doubt that it would be great recovery, pins from that factory never ran below 4-5g/kg. I had 285 g prepared. Routine, as usual, dissolving in AR, denoxing with sulfamic, cooling, filtering and precipitation with sulfite. No big deal... As I done it like hundred times before.
Pins started to dissolve nicely, near the end, lots of the "empty" foils floated to the top, everything as usual. Retaining golden colour and luster even they were in AR.
But, 1 hour after the "drop", no gold, no signs of precipitate nor cloudiness in the solution. Just transition from green to classically brown-yellowish, very dark liquid. Shining the light from under revealed no speck of precipitate after first additions. Testing with stannous negative (to everything, not only gold) - but that could one expect after pouring like 7 teaspoons of sulfite (in panic over the missing gold ) to the 2 liters of denoxed AR solution After 3 more hours sitting, no cloudiness at all, just bunch of white junk precipitated - from excess use of sulfite. I let it covered and sitting overnight. We will see if there would be something in the morning.
My question is:
Is there any possibility that completely ordinary "golden looking pins" are plated with some other metal ? Because it wasn´t brass, I am sure. I added pictures below. Material was manufactured likely between 60´s and 80´s. Now I am not only concerned about missing gold, but possibly some unknown stuff containing some toxic junk, like beryllium.
From modern stuff, I know that there could be nickel plating. But it will definitely not survive in warm AR while retaining the golden luster.
Now, I am clueless. If I did something wrong, or the pins contained no gold at all... Everything should be in the solution, I even have the filter paper from filtration, but only a trace of white residue (probably Pb/Ag salts).
today, I experienced something very strange. Batch of male pins from old (at least late 80´s) connectors (TESLA brand, made in Czechoslovakia). WK type. Looking very good, nicely golden. As they were mounted in connectors, they have copper "skirt" which fits the pin into the hole.
I had no doubt that it would be great recovery, pins from that factory never ran below 4-5g/kg. I had 285 g prepared. Routine, as usual, dissolving in AR, denoxing with sulfamic, cooling, filtering and precipitation with sulfite. No big deal... As I done it like hundred times before.
Pins started to dissolve nicely, near the end, lots of the "empty" foils floated to the top, everything as usual. Retaining golden colour and luster even they were in AR.
But, 1 hour after the "drop", no gold, no signs of precipitate nor cloudiness in the solution. Just transition from green to classically brown-yellowish, very dark liquid. Shining the light from under revealed no speck of precipitate after first additions. Testing with stannous negative (to everything, not only gold) - but that could one expect after pouring like 7 teaspoons of sulfite (in panic over the missing gold ) to the 2 liters of denoxed AR solution After 3 more hours sitting, no cloudiness at all, just bunch of white junk precipitated - from excess use of sulfite. I let it covered and sitting overnight. We will see if there would be something in the morning.
My question is:
Is there any possibility that completely ordinary "golden looking pins" are plated with some other metal ? Because it wasn´t brass, I am sure. I added pictures below. Material was manufactured likely between 60´s and 80´s. Now I am not only concerned about missing gold, but possibly some unknown stuff containing some toxic junk, like beryllium.
From modern stuff, I know that there could be nickel plating. But it will definitely not survive in warm AR while retaining the golden luster.
Now, I am clueless. If I did something wrong, or the pins contained no gold at all... Everything should be in the solution, I even have the filter paper from filtration, but only a trace of white residue (probably Pb/Ag salts).