Alentia
Well-known member
I have made somewhat an experiment today and obtained very positive results.
After washing my silver cement (came from silver ore) multiple times with hot water it was not in the condition I wanted it to be: muddy dark grey mass.
I have decided to wash it with diluted H2SO4. We know that Copper Nitrate (always left in the cement, no matter how good are you wash) reacts with H2SO4 produces HNO3. Well...
1. The silver came out to be chunky and light grey color, mud has disappeared. Result is very similar when washing gold with HCl.
2. Solution became a bit greenish
3. After washing and filtering all my silver cement (about 2-3 kilos) I have decided to see if any silver got dissolved by HNO3. I dropped copper pipe into the bucket with wash solution and to my surprise no silver has cemented on copper.
4. It looks like the amount of HNO3 created was either negligible (most likely the case) or H2SO4 and HNO3 digested other more reactive "crap" first and had no strength left to eat the silver.
5. I am expecting for cement (by the way it looks) to be 99% or bit more pure.
6. Will let you know if I find any "blue" residue after drying up the cement. I would hope not, as most of it should have been converted into CuSO4, which is highly soluble in water.
After washing my silver cement (came from silver ore) multiple times with hot water it was not in the condition I wanted it to be: muddy dark grey mass.
I have decided to wash it with diluted H2SO4. We know that Copper Nitrate (always left in the cement, no matter how good are you wash) reacts with H2SO4 produces HNO3. Well...
1. The silver came out to be chunky and light grey color, mud has disappeared. Result is very similar when washing gold with HCl.
2. Solution became a bit greenish
3. After washing and filtering all my silver cement (about 2-3 kilos) I have decided to see if any silver got dissolved by HNO3. I dropped copper pipe into the bucket with wash solution and to my surprise no silver has cemented on copper.
4. It looks like the amount of HNO3 created was either negligible (most likely the case) or H2SO4 and HNO3 digested other more reactive "crap" first and had no strength left to eat the silver.
5. I am expecting for cement (by the way it looks) to be 99% or bit more pure.
6. Will let you know if I find any "blue" residue after drying up the cement. I would hope not, as most of it should have been converted into CuSO4, which is highly soluble in water.