Rh and Ru

[Shecker]

Good afternoon everyone

I am extracting a combination of rhodium and ruthenium from a very complex ore. I can readily extract these values but I cannot find anyone who wants to handle the refining of this material from either an oxide or chloride form. This material will readily dissolve in warm to hot HCL. I will be happy to provide a sample to anyone who wants to tackle this material and maybe we can develop an arrangement. I am currently set up for extraction not refining. I have pounds upon pounds of this material available now, but I am seeking someone on the forum who really wants to dig into it. PM me for samples.

Randy in Gunnison

 

[Lino1406]

What material exactly?

 

[Shecker]

This is from a mineral source -- a really complex chloritic mineral soup.
I am currently rethinking the ruthenium, but I believe the rhodium is for certain.

Randy in Gunnison

 

[ChucknC]

I have 2 samples of ore that appear to be similar to what you have. Good Luck! These ores have been a real biddy to break! I know what's there, but I'm having a hard time getting past the base metals. One thing I have thought about would be a floatation cell of some kind. I just don't know which chemicals to use for PGM's.

Crushing the ores is no problem. Building a unit should be no problem either. I have a couple of designs in mind, so that's a non-issue. The bubbler is no problem either. What chemicals to use to "float" the pGM's? Now that's my real issue.

From there, wet chemical and alkalai fusions won't be too terribly hard to lear, although there might (probably) be a sharp learning curve.

Are you sure it's not a sulphide ore? A chloritic ore would seem to be too water soluble to me.

Chuck

 

[Lou]

I will want some of your ''concentrates'', preferably as pure as you can make the stuff. If it is profitable to us both, I can and will go after it and I know where to sell it.


PM sent.

The Ru is easy, the Rh is not.

 

[Shecker]

After obtaining some ammonium chloride given to me by one of the members of this forum (for which I am deeply grateful), I found that my principle pgm is brown ammonium chlororuthenate. At least I assume that the brown material is ruthenium. That is what Gajda and Ammon say. Any thoughts.
Soon I will be able to produce 100 to 200 ounces per day of this material as a zinc precipitate.

Incidentally this is from a mineral source. The very same sources that aren't suppose to exist in America. Thus far I have found four major pgm bearing deposits. One of these is a huge structure like the Stillwater Complex. Platinum, like gold, is where you find it.

Randy in Gunnison

 

[Shecker]

I did a little more work after this previous post. The chloritic material did not respond to cold water. They did not respond to warm water. But hot water brought out a faint yellow solution. I reacted it with ammonium chloride and adjusted the pH with a little NaOH. A yellow precipitate formed revealing that
platinum is water soluble in this ore, but none of the other chlorides are water soluble. Nonetheless I could easily make 10 to 20 ounces of platinum a day and then recover everything else by copper sulfate leach. The platinum chloride is not soluble in copper sulfate -- all of the other chlorides are soluble. This is weird stuff. It does not obey the normal laws of chemistry in most cases.

Randy in Gunnison

 

[Lino1406]

Handbk. of chemistry and physics
says it is black