Easy Silver Chloride Reduction With Aluminum?

Рет қаралды 4,092

Жыл бұрын

Here I show a seemingly easy alternative to the lye and sugar method of reducing silver chloride to silver metal that I heard about. It seems like a super easy and hands-off process. Watch the video to see how well it does or doesn't work. Please visit the Urban Gold Mining section of my web site at mdpub.com/UrbanGoldMining/ for more information.
Equipment and supplies used in these videos:
Sulfuric Acid Drain Opener, 32 fl oz (2) amzn.to/3iX7Hpc
3pcs Glass Graduated Beaker Set 500ml, 1000ml, 2000ml amzn.to/3faaHO3
12PK Watch Glasses, 6" (15cm) - Cover Lids for Beakers & Flasks amzn.to/3j5MHMS
Aroma Housewares AHP-303 Single Burner Hot Plate, Black amzn.to/378jL1p
300PCS 3ML Plastic Transfer Pipettes amzn.to/3f9JQ4B
AMMEX Clear Vinyl Medical Gloves amzn.to/2WBzB2A
Refining Precious Metal Wastes by C. M Hoke amzn.to/3oNtvr0

Пікірлер: 38

@Alrik. Жыл бұрын

As soon as I read "seemingly easy" in the introduction I lauged and knew it'd be another interesting video! 😅

@rockman531 Жыл бұрын

Hi Mike, Interesting experiment! Your 3 words - "seemingly easy alternative" was a great clue to the results. Thanks for being a great teacher - again! Have an awesome day! Jim

@M0DiFiEDZ Жыл бұрын

The commonly known method of sulphuric and iron works decently well. The whole silver chloride situation could be avoided by cementing the silver on copper instead of converting the nitrate to chloride with the addition of HCL. imo

@kylecissell958 Жыл бұрын

Very interesting to say the least. The ion exchange does have its limits sadly. Once a good portion of the silver chloride converts to silver metal it’s hard pressed to keep the reaction headed in that direction. One interesting method that I learned about in undergraduate is that silver chloride is actually soluble in 50% ammonia solution. We dissolved it and then dropped out the silver using the classic copper wire. Was very interesting since I didn’t think much of anything would dissolve Silver Chloride very easily.

@GSProspecting Жыл бұрын

Great job all around fam. Keep on having fun and living the dream. Gold Squad Out!!!

@Enjoymentboy Жыл бұрын

I've tried this method a few times and I just don't like it. I find the Al contamination is heard to remove and if I run the Ag through my electro-cell it does not form the regular crystals I expect. It's hard to describe but they are just weird and I have to redissolve in nitric and start all over again. Now, if you're not striving for ultra pure then this method should work but it's not the way I like to go. But even when using lye/sugar I do things slightly different in that once converted I heavily dilute and neutralise with HCl. This makes it settle WAY faster and I have to wash far less and because of this I get less losses.

@ejkozan Жыл бұрын

i have seen someone doing that by stirring with an iron nail. In theory, you could then use L bent iron rod mounted to the motor and just stir the silver chloride water mix. Mixing always helps with mass transfer in chemical reactions, if you can do it.

@frankzahn7773 Жыл бұрын

You should try using steel for the aluminum. I've been doing it for many years with steel. You must wash out all the rinse it very well. Maybe boil it in hcl to get rid of all the steel. Try it and make a video to see what happens. I think you will like the outcome.

@archertom5221 Жыл бұрын

Hi Mike, during the reduction process stir it time to time!!! It's very important! I’m afraid, that this gray precipitate is not dissolved aluminum or aluminum oxide. After pulled out the aluminum heatsink and several rinses, You have to boil the metallic alu in the beaker with sulphuric acid a few minutes to dissolve leftover alu from heatsink. Next rinse it a few times, dry and melt it. 100% success! Purity 99,99! I’m using this method for a few years! Good luck!😊

@omegageek64 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips!

@gilgoldmuenze2570 Жыл бұрын

At first I was thinking you do a termite reaction, then you melting the AgCl then adding Al to it, but you surprised me. Two things to change maybe: 1. the metal, Al is very down the electrochemical Serie, so it will convert many other contaminations. So maybe tin or iron could work different. 2. The form of the metal. Smaller parts are hard to remove, also things that fall into pieces. So I think, a solid bar of metal hanging in the solution without touching the button is the theory I would test. Good luck!

@omegageek64 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestions.

@WaffleStaffel Жыл бұрын

ok. The starting weight of the silver chloride wasn't stated (because refiners always keep their AgCl wet). There should be 1.3287g of silver chloride for every 1g of silver. If there's any liquid left in with the silver when it's dried, there will be aluminum chloride going into the crucible, and that will be mostly vaporized. So ,the weight going into the crucible is irrelevant as long as pure silver is coming out, it's the weight of AgCl going in that matters. Without drying your silver chloride, the only way to get a weight is to thoroughly filter and blot all the water out of the reduced silver before melting it, so that you're not including the weight of any aluminum chloride.

@WaffleStaffel Жыл бұрын

AlCl vaporizes at a few hundred degrees.

@FollowMe2aMillion Жыл бұрын

Would love to see this with a known weight of silver, then dissolve, convert, reduce, and weigh. great video.

@robertsletten7466 Жыл бұрын

yes ...I was kind of thinking the Cl must have some weight to in it?

@goldensadventures1229 Жыл бұрын

Man you got my hopes all up then dashed upon the rocks 😂

@omegageek64 Жыл бұрын

Sorry about that. However, I am getting comments from people who swear this method works great if I just do it a little differently. Looks like there will be more experimenting on this in the future.

@robertsletten7466 Жыл бұрын

Got to love Chemistry ... 👍👍

@TrevorsBench 10 ай бұрын

I have done this same conversion using zinc. Stirring is the key. Just setting Al in the silver chloride will not complete the conversion fully and there always will be some losses

@2001pulsar Жыл бұрын

Add some sodium carbonate (lectric soda) to the crucible and reheat. It may reduce some of the gray solid back to metal

@omegageek64 Жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'll try that.

@joek511 Жыл бұрын

Circulation would likely help. and the reaction needs to be ballanced. x grams of aluminum to 1 gram of silver. I have no idea what the ratio would need to be.

@shaneyork300 Жыл бұрын

Are going to perfect it?

@afineliner740 Жыл бұрын

What a shame, I was really hopeful you found a new method. 👍

@phoenixfyre2000 Жыл бұрын

how bout using aluminum powder

@wesleymccravy901 Ай бұрын

Concentrated Sulfuric acid and an iron nail. Head for an hour. Full conversion

@Akragonus Жыл бұрын

don't drown your metal in flux!! Interesting idea though. Cementing out on copper is the easiest way i've found. even using lye and sugar is a pain in the ass, but it works too

@frantiseklaluch6605 Жыл бұрын

Hi man, did you try melting AgCl with Na2CO3? 4AgCl +2Na2CO3 → 4Ag +4NaCl +2CO2 +O2 (at 850 -900 celsius). Silver should be pretty clean...

@omegageek64 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip

@gordonauld5945 Жыл бұрын

Maybe use powdered aluminum?

@salihakdag6371 Жыл бұрын

👍❤️

@adambuysyuckyhouses 7 ай бұрын

This is interesting... but i melt silver chloride without converting it all of the time why waste the time.

@johannesdesloper8434 Жыл бұрын

Hahahaha, SIlver thermite? Lets check it out!

@johannesdesloper8434 Жыл бұрын

I assume the fins are for dispersing heat of the reaction? haha. Refreshing to see new stuff, I like that.

@omegageek64 Жыл бұрын

I was thinking this reaction is like a slow motion, low temp, thermite reaction that produces metallic silver. I wondered if finely powdered aluminum would work better, but didn't have any to test.

@johannesdesloper8434 Жыл бұрын

@@omegageek64 I was joking a bit ofcourse. As you might know aluminium powder can react pretty violent. If fine enough it can bang when reacting with oxygen. Could well be that a thermite like reaction would be possible when heated to when in the presence of Chlorides. but that's why I watch you folks.

@davidmaisel8062 Жыл бұрын

Nothing is a failure when you learn something from the process. I like that you used a round bottom flask for fume reduction. That's smart! Second using sulfuric acid is a huge cost saver. I'd go with iron as suggested in some of the other posts suggested as you get a better conversation rate and cleaner end product but it really depends on what your final goal is. If you are making objects you have to convert your silver to 925 anyway so a little aluminum isn't a big deal. Aluminum foil chopped up has a larger surface area so that might help your reaction. Loved the video!