Why are my salts turquoise in color

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bklopsy

Well-known member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2010
Messages
141
I experimented dissolving old server rams (4) in clorox/HCl. Dissolving in solution happened quickly. Obviously used to much clorox because I could'nt drop. Because of Northeast temps, I did all steps with heat. I boiled down original solution after filtering then added more HCl and boiled down again. Unfortunately, I disolved complete ram so I have undisireable metals like lead that I have been dealing with.

Solution after second vaporization boil and filtering was sediment free and almost a bluish color. Still could not drop so I added HCl again and boiled down to about half then salts started. I added more HCl and it did not dissolve the salts so I added a little more HCl and still could not dissolve. Pulled solution off heat and set aside for the evening

This morning I filtered solution again. What remained on bottom was a brilliant turquoise colored crystalization. Even when lightly squirting sides of beaker, crystilization on bottom was one solid piece covering entire bottom and was unaffected by spray bottle rinsing of beaker walls. However after considerable washing and adding of spray bottle water, turquoise color turned to yellow. I decantered majority of solution, lightly washed beaker walls and filtered into solution. However, I kept bottom remnants in seperate container. I took a small sample to see if drop possible but this morning no sign of drop

This morning, the solution had a yellow with very very slight tint of green to it. I decided to vaporize boil again so I added more HCl. Once heat started to take affect, solution almost immediately turned a brilliant green color. Solution is completly sediment free at this time. Volume is a quart of solution

Can someone please step in and help this ole boy. I'm in a little bit over my head. I have read Hokes book to Chapter 6 three times now and realize I should not have attempted slotted rams but I did and if I can master a turn around of this solution, it will benefit me immensly
 
You aren't going to see much from 4 sticks of ram, add all the other metals from dissolving everything- good luck finding the gold.
You need to accumulate as much scrap as you can, while reading the forum and learning as much as you can - before jumping into refining.
I know how it is hard to be patient when you want to see your gold. But trust me you will see it, and have much more of it to see, with patience and diligence in your reading and learning from the forum.
Getting the material, and enough of it to process is the biggest factor
here. Then if you decide not to process you can always sell it. I like to have 5 lbs of cut fingers to process before I start, but at least have 1 lb.

You should always trim the gold fingers and keep them separate. They are the easiest thing to process when you do it right. Memory also sells for at least $6 per lb, possibly even with the gold fingers removed so processing the whole thing is a mistake in my opinion.
Have patience and keep reading. Before you start anything, know what to expect and keep all the safety concerns in check.
Hoke's book is from the forties, so it doesn't have anything about escrap refining. The forum is your best place to take notes on doing escrap.

Jim
 
Jim
These rams were huge and the processors on them were of gold wire. I have never seen a ram like them. The servers these were taken from are from the 80's and SMB is dark brown boardering black so there is gold worth dropping. Be it a little.

Regarding material, I already have a little over 2klbs of material. mostly mother boards then slotted cards, rams and cpus. I have already refined three nice buttons. My first from 10 pentium pro cpus, second and third are from cut fingers following steve's video. Although I took the long route for not reading Hoke from the get go, I do have a tiny bit under my belt. I have never experienced the type of results I am getting from this ram material.

Just looked at solution, has been on simmer since this morning and has reduced to a third of volume since this morning. Solution is still without residue. I will take down to syrup, again and SMB sample a real small amount later this evening. The good thing, this time, is I dont have what I think were the salts that I filtered earlier

I thank you for your input.
 
Sounds like this is your first lesson in refining, if jims right which he probably is it isnt going to be worth the effort to recover what little gold there is,so put it down to experience and track some more e scrap down and save it up until its worth your time and effort to recover. I bet you wont do the same thing again,it could have been worse you could have quantities of gold tied up,we all cock up so chin up and get searching and reading.
 
Did this ram come from an IBM mainframe?If so do you have another piece that you can post a pic of?If it is a certain type I would like to buy it from you.
Johnny
 
Johnny
It was sent to me from my nephew who works with computers. Unfortunately, they were all that I had so no pictures to send: sorry. I made a mistake according to my nephew. I got my hands on a 1982 xerox model 820 and stripped it down for scrap and found out later it was worth alot more hundreds more if I would have put on ebay. I still have all the insides but sent housing to scrap yard couple days ago. That experience sure woke me up to collectability of old computers
Brooks
 
I have seen that color, usually when i make hillbilly nitric and toss a bunch of materials in it after about a day it will settle that crystal color you mentioned I always thought it was a form of copper. when left to sit and settle like that it will dissolve if enough mixing and water is added to it.
I solved the problem by adding water to the mix several hours after i begin the reaction
and i think it is created by too much material for the amount of acid and it always shows up after the reaction cools.
 
Hillbilly nitric recipe.
1/2 gallon battery acid, set it next to the fire till it steams.
then toss in a couple big hands full of fertilizer.
Stir till de-solved.
dump in feed bucket with material.
run for the hilltop or up the holler, depending on the wind.
easy
 
It's been a long day just got home.

Shadybear, i'm afraid of your hillbilly nitric for i'd probably hurt myself: the story however was visually entertaining. And, your right about a lot of base metals in my solution.

Update. last night after cooling, solution took on an orange color. I thought I was on the right track. Then I took it inside and notice orange color coming from salts encrusted on bottom of beaker. At closer inspection, solution itself was yellow with tint of green.

Knowing that I had contentrated my solution from multiple evaporations, I thought that I was witnessing precipitation of a base metal. I wasn't positive. However, what I was positive of, was that the gold was still in solution from the strong showing from stannous

So, I decantered solution, lightly spray bottled beaker (red washed off fairly easy from crystalls and put remainder in alternate bottle till I knew more.

These evening, solution is clear, no sediment and a nice dary yellow. Second, with sediment, has lost its orange color all together but still has light grain sediment on bottom. Solution, a small amount is yellow

I forgot to mention, after decantering solution, the encrustment on the beaker bottom was like a florescent color between pink and red. Anyone want to take a shot at what I am dealing with.

First a bright turquoise then a flourescent pinkish/red. Reminds me of a teenage stage I went through

Thanks, Brooks
 
Brooks,
I've tried to follow this side show and can't begin to imagine what the hell you're trying to accomplish.

Go back to the beginning and read. Read until you understand the objective. Study Hoke, too, in spite of her offerings not relating to e scrap. What you'll learn is how to test, how to make test solutions, and how to make standard solutions. Most importantly, you'll learn that many of the things you're doing may be entertaining, but they have little, if anything, to do with refining.

All depends on your objective, of course. If you are content to play chemistry and make color changes, guess you're doing it right.

Please note---I am not trying to be a wise guy. I'm simply trying to have you understand that there are ways to achieve an end with reliability.

Harold
 
Harold

Your right, I've become complacent in my study. Three nice little buttons under my belt and i've become over confident without putting in the real work!

Your comments are well in order. Refining has found my interest and I thank you for your directness.

I will read Hoke again and again and ask questions about matters in the book that I do not understand.

Thank you for the swift kick

Brooks
 
Butcher

Harold's swift kick is exactly what I needed. I am nearly finished with first complete read of Hoke. What a difference a little knowledge makes!

Thanks, Brooks
 

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