I accidentally added baking soda to my aqua regia solution

[Yggdrasil]

I did it seems. Let’s see if I clear it up.

Many times we see a new members come in and with in their first few posts they claim to have followed a video or maybe even a post from the forum.

It often leads to something along these lines… I don’t have this chemical so I used this one instead.

Often followed immediately by the question along the line of …what went wrong?

An example would be … I don’t have sulphamic acid so I used baking soda, now I have mess, what went wrong…

These type posts appear pretty often as well as becoming more frequent.

Another example would be….i followed this video so I can be safe and not have to use acids to dissolve my material with. Again followed by … what went wrong?

By people with less experiance, but proven to be well on their way, answering questions. We have moderators as well as several members with vast knowledge who can/will come along and correct any mistakes given as advice. This allows the new person to get the correct answer, and teach the older member where they may be making mistakes as well. Like Butcher used to say “killing two birds with one stone.” This way we all learn more. These corrections should never be taken as an insult to anyone’s knowledge, but as a chance to learn more. Accepting it as it is and not trying to read more into it.

An example could easily be … I made a mess now what…. With an answer along the line of ….. store your chemicals and study more.

Being ask to stop the chemical use and study is a safe bet to protecting them and their pets and neighbors, and not meant as a way of saying we won’t help you. To many of these replies are taken the wrong way, when all it is meant is to be taken exactly as stated. Study more before practicing.

Now I understood, maybe I'm not that old anyway

 

[Yggdrasil]

I did it seems. Let’s see if I clear it up.

Many times we see a new members come in and with in their first few posts they claim to have followed a video or maybe even a post from the forum.

It often leads to something along these lines… I don’t have this chemical so I used this one instead.

Often followed immediately by the question along the line of …what went wrong?

An example would be … I don’t have sulphamic acid so I used baking soda, now I have mess, what went wrong…

These type posts appear pretty often as well as becoming more frequent.

Another example would be….i followed this video so I can be safe and not have to use acids to dissolve my material with. Again followed by … what went wrong?

By people with less experiance, but proven to be well on their way, answering questions. We have moderators as well as several members with vast knowledge who can/will come along and correct any mistakes given as advice. This allows the new person to get the correct answer, and teach the older member where they may be making mistakes as well. Like Butcher used to say “killing two birds with one stone.” This way we all learn more. These corrections should never be taken as an insult to anyone’s knowledge, but as a chance to learn more. Accepting it as it is and not trying to read more into it.

An example could easily be … I made a mess now what…. With an answer along the line of ….. store your chemicals and study more.

Being ask to stop the chemical use and study is a safe bet to protecting them and their pets and neighbors, and not meant as a way of saying we won’t help you. To many of these replies are taken the wrong way, when all it is meant is to be taken exactly as stated. Study more before practicing.

Yes I have noticed that some new comers have a very touchy attitude and take any and all critique as a personal attack.
Or they at best gives a sketchy set of info about what they did, at which point I reply with my rope analogy.
Interpreting attitude through a monitor and keyboard is next to impossible especially with new comers.

 

[Shark]

Interpreting attitude through a monitor and keyboard is next to impossible especially with new comers.

Throw in 18,000 plus members makes it that much more difficult. Add to that needing to earn a living and take care of personal responsibilities it becomes even more difficult to moderate, and try to help others. I once was a moderator on two forums at the same time. Each had 30,000 plus members, when I ended that I swore to never do it again. Looking back though the personal rewards were amazing. I am still friends with many of those people from those forums.

 

[anachronism]

if you (and obviously a couple other people) sincerely feel that every question has already been asked and answered here, why are you still here answering questions? why do you feel the need to come here and point people in your direction? based upon your last reply, you do not intend to spark insightful conversation. in fact, why not just rename the website to Gold Refining Database?

Visiting GRF in 2010 began a learning journey with zero initial knowledge that's culminated in running a commercial operation. Without the start GRF gave me I would not have been able develop and learn. So to answer your question as to why I still answer the same questions every week it's simple - I want other people to have the same opportunity as I got. What they choose to do with that opportunity is not up to me but if I can contribute in some way then it's a fair way of paying it forward.

Jon

 

[nikox22]

I'm glad everyone on here just woke up one day and bam u know how yo mix chems. I was always told ask questions but then someone basically gets yelled at because he is new . Not yo talk to anyone on here till they read a book really . Could just said no baking soda it netrelizies solution bit no u say dont talk read a book

Absolutely agree.The purpose of this forum is help and not the level of knowledge of the members.If everybody knows everything there is no need of the forum.If you know how to help just answer the question.I am sure that even the new members have red about refining before doing it.The true is that if you search different website for answers you can find many wrong answers.Hoke's book also has some mistakes.For example in the chemistry we always add the acid to the water when we do an acid solution.Another example is the Ammen's methods when he does not use Urea at all,just evaporates the nitric acid.Cryptopsyhead can do the same.Evaporate the acid to thick syrup,add HCL to dilute,avaporate again and repeat it 2-3 time to be sure that you dont have HNO3 in the solution.Then you can add water and try again with SMB.If you have HNO3 in the solution the Au will precipitate with SMB and will disolve again.Maybe that is why you can not see precipitation of Au.Or just use cimentation with Cu.If you use Urea the purpose is to increase the Ph to pH=1.Even with baking soda if the pH is 1 or 2 you should be able to precipitate the gold.The question here is how much baking soda you have add to the solution,what is the Ph and you can start from there.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Absolutely agree.The purpose of this forum is help and not the level of knowledge of the members.If everybody knows everything there is no need of the forum.If you know how to help just answer the question.I am sure that even the new members have red about refining before doing it.The true is that if you search different website for answers you can find many wrong answers.Hoke's book also has some mistakes.For example in the chemistry we always add the acid to the water when we do an acid solution.Another example is the Ammen's methods when he does not use Urea at all,just evaporates the nitric acid.Cryptopsyhead can do the same.Evaporate the acid to thick syrup,add HCL to dilute,avaporate again and repeat it 2-3 time to be sure that you dont have HNO3 in the solution.Then you can add water and try again with SMB.If you have HNO3 in the solution the Au will precipitate with SMB and will disolve again.Maybe that is why you can not see precipitation of Au.Or just use cimentation with Cu.If you use Urea the purpose is to increase the Ph to pH=1.Even with baking soda if the pH is 1 or 2 you should be able to precipitate the gold.The question here is how much baking soda you have add to the solution,what is the Ph and you can start from there.

Welcome.
Casper has not been here since 2019.
The purpose of Urea is NOT to elevate the pH, even if it does that too.
The purpose is to bind up the excess Nitric/Nitrates, a task the Sulfamic acid does better and without the risk of lifting the pH too much.
There us actually no reason to adjust the pH up for precipitating Gold, it may sometimes be necessary to lower it if has become too high.
HCl is fine for that.

Edit to remove erroneous letter in a word.

 

[nikox22]

Thank you.You are right for the Urea.I just mentioned pH 1 because the Urea will adjust the pH.You are also right that adding HCL will fix the problem converting the NaNO3 to NaCl and HNO3.Then follow the right procedure.Thank you again for the welcome.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Thank you.You are right for the Urea.I just mentioned pH 1 because the Urea will adjust the pH.You are also right that adding HCL will fix the problem converting the NaNO3 to NaCl and HNO3.Then follow the right procedure.Thank you again for the welcome.

No, adding HCl to a pregnant Gold solution would only be done to lower the pH to a level you are sure the precipitant would do its job.
It has no function in decomposing Nitric or it's byproducts.

 

[nikox22]

I am talking about the case in which somebody has added baking soda instead of Urea.Adding baking soda will create sodium nitrate,sodium chloride and CO2 in the solution.Adding HCL will react with NaNO3 and create again HNO3 and NaCl.That is why I have mentioned the NaNO3.After adding HCL he has to continue from the point where he has to add Urea.The gold is in the solution and adding HCl will fix his problem if he does the job right.Sorry if I was not clear.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I am talking about the case in which somebody has added baking soda instead of Urea.Adding baking soda will create sodium nitrate,sodium chloride and CO2 in the solution.Adding HCL will react with NaNO3 and create again HNO3 and NaCl.That is why I have mentioned the NaNO3.After adding HCL he has to continue from the point where he has to add Urea.The gold is in the solution and adding HCl will fix his problem if he does the job right.Sorry if I was not clear.

We try to avoid the Urea altogether.
And adding baking soda at this stage, hints of bad lab hygiene and warrants a serious cleanup in the lab area.
Maybe even a retraining, and better planning.
One simply do not add chemicals on a whim.

 

[nikox22]

Right.That is why I like the Ammen's book.He simply evaporates the acids to syrup,adding HCL and repeats that 3 times to get rid of the HNO3, then adding water before precipitating with SO2.The problem with SO2 is that it is not easy to get it.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Right.That is why I like the Ammen's book.He simply evaporates the acids to syrup,adding HCL and repeats that 3 times to get rid of the HNO3, then adding water before precipitating with SO2.The problem with SO2 is that it is not easy to get it.

Hoke do also evaporate.
SO₂ kan be generated by dripping HCl on to SMB.

 

[nikox22]

I have red Hook a long time ago and then I bought Ammen and follow his procedures because it is very simple and use of minimum chemicals,but have to read Hoke again.It will be interesting to make comparison and may be use different methods in different situations.Thank you for mention it.I really appreciate it.