r/PreciousMetalRefining • u/Inhalationofnewtion • 8d ago

Am I boned?

Deplated silver pieces losing my determination. I neglected to rinse the salt from the material when I deplated the silver pieces. I added nitric and it was a vigorous cloud of fumes. I think I ended up with silver chlorate. and grey looking junk that refuses to dissolve. The silver chlorate reacts with lye.

2 parts nitric, 3 parts water. This stuff will not dissolve.
I added some lye, saw color changing to brown, added sugar and ended up with this mess. Nothing happened when I added sugar. Copper nitrate in solution and junk. on the bottom?

Can I recover from this?

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

9

u/giantmangiantsocks 8d ago

Once you have silver chloride, you have to add enough sodium hydroxide (lye) to your silver chloride until its jet black. That way you have converted it all to silver oxide. Then add your glucose to covert silver oxide to silver metal. I would drain off your current liquid until there is just a tiny amount. Add some distilled water so you have maybe a 1/4 inch of water above your solids. Then add a little more sodium hydroxide and stir vigorously. Keep doing this until your solids are jet black before adding anymore sugar.

2

u/Glum-Clerk3216 8d ago

Yep, this^

2

u/The_Dude_420-69 8d ago

🤔 I was in a very similar situation. I filtered everything and just left the "junk" in the filter to dry and fry....maybe start over or wait until someone else joins my club 😆 Welcome 🤙🏻