precipitating with copper

[arthur kierski]

when dissolving silver with nitric acid and precipitating with nacl,i obtain a white silver chloride mixed with other white stuff(lead chloride?) which is so thin that it is almost impossible to hold the white powder in the filter paper------i decided to dissolve with nitric and precipitate with a copper pipe---the result of this was very astonishing to me,--- the silver precipitated with a magnetic powder ----by what i learned in the forum i should obtain only silver----this silver is obtained from relays tips and it dissolves perfectly with nitric , leaving no residue in the filter paper ---please i need help because this silver originates from many kilos of relays-----thanks Arthur

 

[Oz]

That is odd having a magnetic precipitate on copper. I am at a complete loss as to what it could be.

As for your silver chloride from your first method, there probably is lead chloride from the solder used to attach the contacts. If you think that there is mainly silver chloride in the white precipitant you could remove the lead chloride with boiling water.

If you have significant lead chloride it may be easier to remove the silver chloride with ammonium hydroxide leaving the lead chloride behind. Then acidify the ammonium hydroxide solution with HCl giving you silver chloride again but separated from your lead.

Do not leave ammonium solutions with silver laying around as they can be hazardous, always acidify.

 

[donnybrook]

A small point in respect of silver and it's precipitation. I normally only use salt water to drop my silver or hydrochloric acid. I then clean and dry the powder and add 2 1/2 parts by weight of Soda Ash to convert the silver chloride to metal. Or take your silver chloride up again with ammonia and re-precipitate with nitric. If you have lead or suspect that there is lead in say your AR before dropping your gold with your preferred precipitate you add a small amount of sulphuric acid. This will drop any lead out of your AR very quickly or rapidly. Filter this out and proceed with the next step. Not sure whether this applies when using nitric to undertake a silver dissolution? I have used copper to precipitate other metals out within what I thought were spent solutions based upon the periodic table. It was a slow process but it worked.

Regards Donnybrook

 

[qst42know]

Arthur.

From googling there are many rare earth elements and compounds added to electrical contacts to improve their performance. I have no idea which of these could be magnetic.

This may be of no help at all but is your contaminate (fine white powder) magnetic in the chloride solution?

This is quite a puzzle you have.

 

[markqf1]

Just curious Arthur,
How did you come to know that the matarial was magnetic?

Mark

 

[Irons]

The PGMs are Paramagnetic. I suspect Pd, which is the most paramagnetic of them.

Paramagnetic Elements are attracted to a magnetic field but will not become magnetized. It's a useful feature.

 

[arthur kierski]

after precipitation with copper i dried the powder and when using a knive to separate this powder ,it (the powder) attatched to the knife---then i took a magnet and proved again that the powder (part of it )was magnetic----the rest of the powder was silver

 

[arthur kierski]

iron,i was so involved in obtaining silver that i did not think of pd----i will tomorrow make a new batch and will give attention to the possible paramagnetic pd--thanks for remind me of the posibility---

 

[skippy]

Going back in time a bit here Irons, but I'm wondering if you might care to elaborate more on what useful things can be done with the paramagnetic properties of (some of?)
the platinum group? Maybe some serious magnets on the bottom of a container might help fine blacks settle out of a liquid?

 

[HAuCl4]

Maybe some serious magnets on the bottom of a container might help fine blacks settle out of a liquid?

This forum is awesome!. 8)