urgent help plz green aqua regia

[jcriss]

I was told to add aluminum into it to get the copper out is this true???

 

[Harold_V]

I was told to add aluminum into it to get the copper out is this true???

Make mine a cheeseburger.

Harold

 

[jcriss]

I was told to add aluminum into it to get the copper out is this true???

Make mine a cheeseburger.

Harold

Sorry Harold I still don't know what you meant by that

 

[niteliteone]

I was told to add aluminum into it to get the copper out is this true???

Make mine a cheeseburger.

Harold

Sorry Harold I still don't know what you meant by that

That was pretty much what Harold meant as a reply to your post. His post makes just as much since, as he addressed in his reply on another thread where he referenced this one.

edit to add;
Without pertinent information completely describing what you are doing, Their is no way to answer your question correctly or wrongly, as this depends on the overall situation, not one piece of it.

 

[Harold_V]

I was told to add aluminum into it to get the copper out is this true???

Make mine a cheeseburger.

Harold

Sorry Harold I still don't know what you meant by that

I expect you don't, just as we don't understand what you're asking. That's the point. You may Just as well asked "how much does a rock weigh?"

If you hope to receive answers that have value, you can't minimize your question. How is the reader to know what you're talking about? You've disclosed nothing---not even if your solution does or does not contain values. We'd certainly have a different response for each scenario.

The real point here is that you are asking questions that reflect the fact that you don't know what you're doing. That's why you were instructed to read Hoke's book. If you don't understand what it teaches, what makes you think you'll understand answers that might be forthcoming? We fully expect readers here to do their homework---to gain the basics so they understand what happens, and why. Until you do that, you're not going to have much success, and you're not going to learn anything by doing everything wrong. Worse than that, when things don't work out, you don't have a clue why----and you don't tell anyone enough to provide the help, even if we were willing. Until you know the basics, we're not!

This forum was brought to its knees by new readers asking stupid questions, often the same tired question several times daily---absolute proof that the readers responsible were doing nothing to improve their knowledge---they just wanted to know how to refine without lifting a finger. I made a decision about how that was going to be handled, and part of that decision is to ban readers who refuse to do as their told. We are here as refiners helping refiners. Are you a refiner? If you are, why are you asking these questions? We are not here to hold your hand, nor to coddle you. You MUST do your part, and you'll do that by reading, gaining the basic knowledge that you must have to succeed.

So then, what I'm telling you is to start reading Hoke's book, and doing research on the forum, which will help you learn the basics. Until you've done that, you're not going to enjoy success, and you're certainly not going to come to this forum daily and ask questions that reflect the fact that you don't understand the most elementary of the processes.

And, if after you've read Hoke's book* a few times, you still don't understand what you're reading----and---- please take this to heart-----refining is NOT for you. You don't have the aptitude for this type of activity.

*When I say to read Hoke's book, I do not mean for you to flip through the pages. What I mean is for you to actually read the book. Every page, and to perform the experiments she provides, as well as to build the requisite test and standard solutions. It's all a part of being a refiner. Do not come here if you aren't doing that.

Make mine a cheeseburger.

Harold

 

[jbuckwheat]

"You can bypass a lot of the simmering and adding of the HCL by simply adding a small gold BB"

Greetings! Noob here. Been reading here the past couple of days but registered only today so I could access "the Hoke" (Hoke seems to be almost a religious tome as referenced here on this site). What brought me here, you ask? Well, I've gathered a bunch of assorted gold/silver jewelry over my years of garage/estate sailing and wanted to do something with it. I had bought a gold/silver test kit some time ago, but never got good results from doing the scratch tests that were described in the instructions with the kit, not to mention that scratching an item seems destructive, but I digress.

The other day while I was cleaning up, I found an old PM test kit I had forgotten about. I figured it was shot due to its age, but I decided to try something out with it. I had three 24kt gold plated stamps that I had tried to remove the gold from via soaking in water (didn't work, obviously). I took the dried gold/paper bits, put them in a small glass jar and added the contents of the 22kt test acid to them. I set it aside and came back the next day to a nice, gold tinted solution with bits of paper floating in it. Very cool, I thought, it worked. I was so happy with this that I threw in a 24kt plated bar from the test kit to remove the gold from that too. I knew there was something other than gold under that plating, so I figured I would retrieve it quickly after the gold came off, before it would contaminate the solution. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough (probably could not have been) to avoid contamination by the copper beneath the gold. Now my nice golden solution is green like a jolly rancher candy.

The original test solution bottle says it is comprised of nitric and muriatic acids. Thru my research, I figured I had AR, so I got some sodium metabisulfite from the brew shop down the street. At first I figured I'd add the smb because I didn't care if my experiment went south, but after awhile I started to see this as a puzzle and I didn't want to let it beat me, so I registered here, did some more reading but I'm still not quite sure what to do. The solution I used may not be AR because of its composition, so the above post I read here may not apply. I put the pretty green solution on a shelf and here I am.

I have two questions. Is my solution AR or is AR a specific solution and not just an acid with gold dissolved in it?

Also, what is a small gold BB? Is BB a reference to a BB like from a Daisy BB gun? Or is BB a cryptic for something else that I have not read enough to understand yet?

Silly, yes, but I had to ask. I promise I will be reading a lot of Hoke in the next couple of weeks, but I am absolutely unfamiliar with chemistry and its lingo, so it's a bit of a learning curve for me. I'll keep reading and making notes, hoping that there is a way to extract the gold from my amateur science project that someone out there may be able to help me with.

This site is an excellent resource so far. I sincerely appreciate the access to the Hoke. It not only saves me money but time too as I don't have to wait for the book to arrive. I think I may have stumbled upon my newest hobby, PM extraction from so much of the junk stuff I have around and the access I have to scrap computer/electronic goods. I'm excited to be a part of this site, I'm looking forward to exploring this fully.

Cheers!

 

[maynman1751]

As was stated at the beginning of this post, put your pregnant solution SAFELY aside and study the forum until you find the answers that you want. Continue studying until you have an understanding of what you are trying to accomplish. There are NO SHORTCUTS!!! By trying to fix what you have started will only make matters worse. Take your time. Your gold is not going anywhere. You need to know how to safely deal with the chemicals you're using and how to treat the waste. These are very dangerous chemicals and in the wrong application can cause health issues and even death!!! Below my signature line, in blue, is a good starting point. Stay with it, good luck and welcome to the forum. And yes a BB is just that, a small bead of pure gold.

 

[UncleBenBen]

Buckwheat you little rascal, Spanky would not be happy. Pretty sure he would tell you to study first!

I was going to ask what you meant by bits of gold chipped off of boards, then I realized you aren't the OP.

As maynman said it's going to take waaaay more than a few days of study to do what you are wanting to do. It is going to take months and years. The amount of gold you have dissolved from 3 stamps and a plated test pin is negligible at best, and basically an unrecoverable amount. Especially with the amount of nitric left in that 22k test solution.

Don't try and waste a pure BB just yet. If the solution isn't active, put a loose lid on it and keep it outside somewhere safe.

Then start reading. Really reading. You have found the best place on the planet to learn this. Study that copy of Hoke. Do her acquaintance experiments, then do them again. Do it tll it makes sense, you will be glad you did. They are a lot of fun also, and you get hands on without wasting values! Study the forum just as intently.

Good luck! It is all up to you to take this forum as the unspeakably awesome resource that it is!

 

[nickvc]

You have a lot of studying to do to get this process correct.
I'll try and explain what you have done and with what. The stamps which where paper with a thin gold plate dissolved in your acid, yes the test solution is AR, then when you added the plated item it dissolved the gold plate and then the gold in solution cemented back out of your solution onto the remaining base metals.
As has been advised put the chemicals away, safely plus the piece of base metal, and start reading here on the forum, it's al, here and free, you can do this but you need to fully understand not just the processes but the risks and dangers of the chemicals used, once you fully understand the processes it's very easy but it takes time to get that point.
Good luck and start your studying and you will have that little gold button to hold.

 

[jbuckwheat]

Otay! (Does that remark reveal my age?)

Thanks for the replies. They are pretty much what I figured to hear (I got a good laugh out of the "make mine a cheeseburger" reply found earlier in this page).

One more question; I have the solution in an old jelly type jar, one that has a plasticky finish on the underside of the lid.
I figured this was probably a sub-optimal surface to have exposed to the corrosive environment since the plasticky surface is not fully intact, so I put plastic wrap on the jar before placing the lid on it. Is this an acceptable way to store this short term? If not, what should I use to store this? Also, I seem to remember someone saying a loose fitting lid should be used
(I'm not able to go back and verify this while writing). Is this correct, or did I miss my meds again?

Thanks for having me here. I'm really looking forward to exploring and learning about PM recovery, in a safe fashion. Now, besides reading, I need to set up a decent work station cuz this ain't gonna fly in my kitchen.

Salud!

 

[maynman1751]

I need to set up a decent work station cuz this ain't gonna fly in my kitchen.

OMG!!! :shock: NEVER, EVER do these processes in the house or any other place that is occupied by living creatures. Very dangerous and corrosive fumes!!!! :evil:

 

[nickvc]

To stress the point on safety do not do this near metals, in the garage or shed unless you don't ever wish to store them in there again, keep the chemicals away from family, friends , pets and wildlife and always think of safety first and foremost.
The solution you have can be stored in sturdy plastic containers, label it and keep it away from prying hands and noses, enjoy your reading and studying and pose questions if you don't understand a point or process we will be on hand to help.

 

[upcyclist]

One more question; I have the solution in an old jelly type jar, one that has a plasticky finish on the underside of the lid.
I figured this was probably a sub-optimal surface to have exposed to the corrosive environment since the plasticky surface is not fully intact, so I put plastic wrap on the jar before placing the lid on it. Is this an acceptable way to store this short term? If not, what should I use to store this? Also, I seem to remember someone saying a loose fitting lid should be used
(I'm not able to go back and verify this while writing). Is this correct, or did I miss my meds again?

As Nick said, go for "sturdy plastic". One thing I've found that holds up pretty well is the plastic mason jar lids (produced by Ball, you can find 'em at Walmart in the canning section). They are, of course, for Mason jars, but they'll fit anything built to that spec, and they come in both "standard" and "wide mouth" variety.

Yes, keep it loose--you want to give the hydrogen gasses and acid fumes a place to go. Hence the "and store it outside" bit.

If the solution isn't active, put a loose lid on it and keep it outside somewhere safe.