Need help identifing an ore sample.

[Anonymous]

Silicon ?

 

[NuggetHuntingFool]

Could it have Tungsten in it?
Can you verify if the tree had been hit by lightning?

Perhaps you can call the Michigan DNR, ask to speak to a geologist and send him or her your photographs via email. I've called state employees that are in the geology department and they were very nice and willing answer all questions. I bet they'd have your answer. If they don't, I'm sure they'd ask colleagues that work in the same department.

They'll close this case.


Good Luck.

 

[Anonymous]

I found this link while doing an image search on different minerals.

http://rshconsulting.net/_wsn/page3.html

I think the pic is too large to post but this is exactly what the samples look like.

 

[Anonymous]

So it is light, but it's hard.

I guess its weight is realitive. I will post more data after I collect some solid data. I am looking to buy a digital scale. so ill post something solid soon.


Sorry guys I am just starting to gather equipment its showing up slowly..

 

[NuggetHuntingFool]

Just call the DNR!

Tell them that it won't melt under oxy-acetylene.
Tell them that it's very light for it's size.

You said it's very hard, but does that mean that it's brittle too?
What's the ductility?
Does it shatter with a hammer or just dent?
Does it get red-hot, white-hot, any surface melt?


Etc... make sure you note everything and just call the geology department to discuss its properties. Like I said, they'll help put this baby to bed, so to speak.

I'm curious as to what they are.

 

[Lou]

They look like Ferrosilicon lumps which are often added to cast iron and sometimes steel to improve machining characteristics.

I have a couple pounds of those for when I occasionally do cast iron melting.

 

[Anonymous]

I have seen those, they look a lot like black or carbon glass. These are more metallic.

 

[NuggetHuntingFool]

The people on this page would be a good place to start.
http://geology.msu.edu/faculty_staff.html
Michigan State Geological Sciences Department.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10368_11800---,00.html
Department of Natural Resources Contact Info


I guarantee your answer is here. You should begin calling first thing tomorrow morning, start sending out the pictures that you showed us. Describe the physical and chemical properties. Tell them how acids didn't affect the material. How it wouldn't melt with oxy-acetylene (which I find strange btw)...

You'll have your answer by Wednesday.

Good Luck

 

[Lou]

I don't know what type of ferrosilicon you've ever encountered, if any, but all the stuff I have looks like this:


[img:360:360]http://ferroalloycn.com/images/Ferro_Silicon.jpg[/img]

 

[Anonymous]

The people on this page would be a good place to start.
http://geology.msu.edu/faculty_staff.html
Michigan State Geological Sciences Department.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10368_11800---,00.html
Department of Natural Resources Contact Info


I guarantee your answer is here. You should begin calling first thing tomorrow morning, start sending out the pictures that you showed us. Describe the physical and chemical properties. Tell them how acids didn't affect the material. How it wouldn't melt with oxy-acetylene (which I find strange btw)...

You'll have your answer by Wednesday.

Good Luck

I am going to send a sample to msu soon as I can contact them, Id rather avoid the DNR at all costs, I don't want mineral rights to become an issue. if of course this turns into something with value.

 

[NuggetHuntingFool]

Good luck.

Although you probably won't have to send samples, pictures would probably be your best bet at first, then at their request you should send the samples.

Regards.

 

[ivanchrist]

Hi all!

I am Ivan from Indonesia.
I have raw material containing 5% rhodium.
I would like to try to fusion with NaHSO4 for my raw material for rhodium.(from black sand) but i dont know where to start.

I have passed the roasting 500oC for 4hours, the leaching with HF and then nitric acid, the Hot Aqua regia to dilute Au, Pt, Pd.

and now i get residue which positively contains Rhodium(and might also Os,Ir), rose red colour, using steve method to test rhodium.
I dilute the residue with sulfuric acid for 2-4hours, then adding lots of water before siphoning.
I precipitate the rhodium or everything using Tin. I get black powder.

I have legitimate reports from local metallurgy lab that the raw material contains 5% rhodium. I am not a dreamer but i am just curious. I would like to precipitate pure rhodium.

how to deal with the black powder? or getting pure rhodium from the black powder?
i cant get any NaHSO4 in Indonesia. Is there any substitute chemical? or is it possible to make NaHSO4?

I might sound like any other guy in the forum trying to proof that their material contains rhodium.
I am just curious, the country as big as Indonesia has no PGM's mining except gold mining.
FREEPORT, the biggest gold mining in Indonesia, in Papua, Papua New Guinea Island which i believe, mining PGM's not only gold, chopper, and silver.

please do look at the website www.ptfi.com

Papua is the richest island in Indonesia but the poorest people among others island.
My point is, I email and join the goldrefiining forum for the enlightment.

Papua is the cendrawasih island and Freeport is only small part in papua which contain gold. My papua friends tell me that," If Papua is assumed as a body that contains gold, than Freeport is only hand." They, Freeport, are hunger for more.

Sounds like politician.. but i am just curious and need enlightment.

Thanks

 

[Rag and Bone]

ivanchrist,

Take it easy. No need to tack your question onto every post you find. And it's copper (Cu). Not "chopper".

 

[qst42know]

Hello. Is your ore magnetic? If it is it may be hematite.

 

[ivanchrist]

yes it is magnetic due to lots of Fe.
any idea to process it to get pure rhodium?

 

[Sylar]

Dissolving the iron with H2SO4 would be a good way of getting started.

 

[patgspot]

I was going to say that it was hematite. But he said the ore is very light in weight and hematite is a very heavy mineral.

Pat G.

 

[Richard36]

Try dissolving it in hydrochloric or nitric acid, if it dissolves, add ammonium hydroxide, If it contains copper the solution will turn cobalt blue, with a light blue precipitate sludge. This precipitate can be dried and mixed with borax, then melted with a propane or acetelene Torch, which will then yield metallic copper. :!:

 

[abelleba]

I was going to say that it looks like a meteorite. I find a few here and there when I'm out metal detecting. The key is to look for present palasites from the extreme heat coming into earths atmosphere. Wiki palasites and get a magnify glass.

 

[semi-lucid]

Uh, Wiki no catchy start on "palasites"

J

Edit: Ok, Google catchy start on Pallasite