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How Much Silver Nitrate in Solution?
In order to make a useful recommendation it would first be desirable to
know either the purpose of the test or the approximate concentration of
silver nitrate in the solution.
The old wet plate photographers tested their silver baths with a hydrometer
which (at the time) they could buy already calibrated to read in % silver
nitrate. I doubt if you could find a similar article today. An appropriate
hydrometer and a conversion chart should do the trick. However this
approach is suitable only for the relatively strong solutions the wet plate
workers used.
If you are buying a hydrometer remember that the density of your solution
will be higher than that of water so a spirit hydrometer will not do the
job. There should be a range of hydrometers available and a knowledgeable
salesperson should be able to advise as to the correct one to buy.
Hydrometers for testing the density of car batteries are readily available
but may not cover the correct range for your purpose.
There are numerous laboratory methods for testing weak silver solutions but
none that I can think of are really adaptable to home use.
Hope this helps,
Alan
l