What is silver and how to extract it?

Silver - a noble metal, one of the aristocratic triad, which also includes gold and platinum. It is quite common in nature: about 60 minerals containing silver are known. But it can be isolated not only from ore.

This metal has a high electrical and thermal conductivity, can be machined well and is excellent for alloys with other metals. In addition to use in the jewelry industry, it is widely used in electronic products.

The list of sources containing silver is pretty decent. Among radio components, it is found in microchips, especially the Soviet period, capacitors, resistors, transistors and aircraft wires. This precious metal is often covered contacts of various starters.

Also silver is present in photo and film films, but it can be obtained from them only with special equipment. Also, this metal can be found on various items: sports goblets, tableware, jewelry and other silver-plated things.

Silver is valued somewhat cheaper than other noble metals, but its scope is wider and easier to mine. Today it is not difficult to get silver at home, for this It does not require large expenses and specific skills.

There are three main methods for extracting silver from other compounds.

To get silver, you just need separate it with wire cutters from some types of contacts.

It happens that the first method cannot be used, then you have to try heat the part with a blowtorch. At high temperatures, silver separates well from other elements.We will need pliers, a gas burner or a cutter, as well as a knife or screwdriver with a wooden handle. To get silver in its pure form, we heat the plate to which it is attached, and then use a screwdriver to remove it with a light movement.

This method is used when highlighting. silver radio parts. However, it requires high concentration and caution. The process can be hazardous to health if you do not take care of safety measures. Work should be carried out in a well-ventilated room with an extractor fan, and preferably in the open air. Be sure to use eye protection glasses and rubber gloves for the hands. To obtain silver, we need:

• glass flask or other container;
• quartz stick for stirring;
• copper;
• nitric acid solution, concentration of 8%.

After all the preparations we do a solution of acid and distilled water in a ratio of 1: 1. After all, we put the cooked parts to the bottom of the flask and fill with acid. We'll have to wait about 10 hours. After the silver is completely dissolved, copper must be added. Thanks to this, the process of obtaining a noble metal will significantly accelerate.

The fact that the chemical reaction is completed, it will be clear from the precipitation of silver at the bottom of the flask and the cooled solution.

The next stage is filtering the solution. Here you will need a watering can, coffee filters and a container. First, we filter the solution well and get rid of copper residues. At the final stage, we evaporate moisture from the remaining liquid, melt the residue, and obtain a pure metal.

Silver mining can be a good source of side income, but you need to understand this. Although this process is rather laborious, it makes sense to deal with it.

The largest percentage of this noble metal is in military or civilian devices of the Soviet era.

To independently determine the presence of silver in alloys, it is recommended to use some methods.

1. Put nitric acid on a piece of metal, and if smoke appears, then silver is present there.
2. A solution of sodium dichromate and nitric acid in equal proportions upon contact with an alloy containing the desired metal changes color to red.
3. There is also a simple folk method that does not require any special skills and accessories. Put the product in the crumb of brown bread. If the day does not darken, then this is what you need.

In order not to lose money when giving metal to buyers, you need to know exactly where to turn.

You can learn about how to glorify silver at home in the next video.