CAS Reflection: Silver Refining 10/17/17
Creatively, I have been thinking about one of my ongoing projects. One of the things that I do for fun is scrap electronics. From scrapping, I get silver relay contacts out of electrical components called relays. I have been trying to figure out how to refine the silver from the relay contacts for a while now and have previously attempted to dissolve the copper from the relay contacts using a solution of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide. This did not work the last time and instead produced chlorine gas which was not what was intended. I thought about my methods I used and have devised a new process to try. I hope to add less hydrogen peroxide to the solution and warm the solution. This would allow the chemical reaction to take place faster and hopefully would give me the desired result. I could then dissolve the impure silver with nitric acid and refine it using sodium chloride. This project would allow me to hone my chemistry skills and to have fun experimenting.