Disposal of silver

erobkin@uwcmail.uwc.edu
Sun Jul 23 19:46:29 CDT 1995

I am usually very reluctant to post to the entire list. I've been lurking
here gathering info for a project I am planning. But I had to throw this in
the pot.

Someone is going to get the bright idea of collecting the silver by
electroplating it out. There are a couple of methods that look easy when you
first examine them but there are details which makes this a world class bad
idea unless you know exactly what you are doing or can get knowledgeable
guidance. As far as I know the only reasonably safe way to do this is based
on cyanide chemistry which raises other interesting issues.

With the extra energy supplied by the electric power and if the chemistry is
not appropriate you will make silver fulminates and/or fulminating silver.
Both are highly unstable and violently explosive and there are no safe ways
to handle them. It would not take much of either to ruin your day.

I strongly suspect that these are the chemicals behind the exploding sink
stories but I defer on that to the chemists.

Gene Robkin