Iridium testing

[markqf1]

Ok Gurus,
Can anyone tell me the best way to test for Ir?
My info tells me that this element exists in very low concentrations (ppm) here on earth.
Thanks in advance for any info and opinions you may have.

Mark

 

[Irons]

It's very unlikely that Iridium would be found without other PGMs being present. Since Iridium would be just a small fraction of the PGM content, the common sense approach would be to test for the more common members of the group and use that as an indicator of probable Iridium content.

 

[lazersteve]

Never tried it, but one recipe I've seen states you can heat a sample with an equal volume of table salt @1500F for 1 hour, then digest in distilled water.

Add a saturated solution of ammonium nitrate to the filtered solution:

Au precipitates as native gold;
Rh forms a HCl soluble orange-yellow precipitate;
Ir forms a yellow salt very slowly after boiling;
Os precipitates as a red salt.

Perhaps I can get my hands on a known Ir sample and post a video of these test results on my website.

Steve

 

[Irons]

Another 'classic' wet test is to do a bromate reduction. The Ir comes down as a black precipitate.

http://www.google.com/search?q=bromate+reduction+iridium

 

[markqf1]

Thanks guys,
I'm working on testing a possible meteorite.
I have already confirmed an unusually high nickel content.
I'll let you know what I come up with.

Mark

 

[qst42know]

Try to do no damage as a meteorite would have a significant value as is.

You can find some prices at this site on the smaller pieces. The ones larger than a couple hundred grams you have to inquire for a price.

http://www.arizonaskiesmeteorites.com/

Could we see a photo?

 

[g_axelsson]

Thanks guys,
I'm working on testing a possible meteorite.
I have already confirmed an unusually high nickel content.
I'll let you know what I come up with.

Mark

Hi Mark!

I'm a meteorite collector and I have seen a lot of meteorites. Do you have a picture? There are easier ways to decide if you have a meteorite than testing for iridium. Can you describe it? Is it stone or iron?

/Göran