Silver is got into solution from its ores by attacking with nitric acid, but it is best, after dissolving, to cautiously add dilute hydrochloric acid, and to carefully avoid excess. If the quantity of silver is very small the solution is allowed to stand twenty-four hours, but, otherwise, it is warmed and filtered as soon as it clears. Dry the residue and concentrate the silver in a button of lead by pot method or scorification, according to the amount of stony matter present. Cupel the lead, and the resulting button will be free from all metals, except perhaps gold. It may be weighed; or dissolved in nitric acid, and the silver determined gravimetrically in the diluted and filtered solution. It is better to weigh the metal and afterwards to determine the gold in it, estimating the silver by difference. Silver alloys are dissolved in dilute nitric acid (free from chlorides), diluted, and filtered. The solution is then ready for gravimetric determination.
Sulphuretted hydrogen precipitates silver (like copper), completely, even from fairly acid solutions.
GRAVIMETRIC DETERMINATION.
Add dilute hydrochloric acid in small excess to the hot dilute solution, which must contain free nitric acid. Heat and stir until the solution clears. Decant through a small filter, and wash with hot water, acidulated at first with a little nitric acid if bismuth is suspected to be present. Dry quickly, transfer as much as possible of the precipitate to a watch-glass; burn and ignite the filter paper, treating the ash first with two drops of nitric acid and then with one of hydrochloric, and again dry. Add the rest of the silver chloride and heat slowly over a Bunsen burner until it begins to fuse. Cool and weigh.
The precipitate is silver chloride (AgCl) and contains 75.27 per cent. of silver. The moist precipitate is heavy and curdy; it is decomposed by direct sunlight, becoming violet under its influence. When heated it is yellowish; and, since it is volatile at a high temperature, it must not, in drying, be heated above its fusing point. The fused chloride can be removed from the crucible (to which it adheres strongly) by digesting with dilute acid and zinc.
For the determination of silver in nearly pure bullion the following process is used:—Weigh up 1.5054 gram of the alloy. With this amount of alloy each 2 milligrams of silver chloride formed is equivalent to 1 degree of fineness, so that the weight of the silver chloride obtained (stated in milligrams and divided by 2) will give the degree of fineness. Transfer to a bottle (known as "bottles for the Indian mint assay") and dissolve in 10 c.c. of dilute nitric acid, then make up with water to 200 c.c. and add 3 c.c. of dilute hydrochloric acid. Allow to stand a few minutes and then shake. Fill the bottle completely with water, allow to settle, and syphon off the clear liquid; pour on more water, shake gently to break up the lumps, and again fill the bottle with water. Invert over the mouth of the bottle a porous Wedgwood crucible, somewhat similar to those used in gold parting. Take firm hold of the crucible and bottle, and invert promptly so that the silver chloride may be collected in the crucible. Allow to stand a little while for the precipitate to settle, and then carefully remove the crucible under water.[14] Drain off most of the water and break up the silver chloride with the help of a well-rounded glass rod. This greatly facilitates the subsequent drying. Dry first on the water bath and then on the iron plate. Remove the dried silver chloride, by inverting the crucible, and weigh it.
As an example, 3 determinations of silver in a coin carried out in this way gave:—
| (1) | 1.8500 | gram AgCl | = 925.0 | fineness. |
| (2) | 1.8498 | " | = 924.9 | " |
| (3) | 1.8502 | " | = 925.1 | " |
Determination of Silver in Burnt Ores.—Take 100 grams of the ore and place in a large beaker of 2-1/2 litres capacity, and cover with 375 c.c. of hydrochloric acid. Boil for half an hour until the oxides are dissolved and the residue looks like sand and pyrites; then add 20 c.c. of nitric acid, and boil till free from nitrous fumes. Dilute to 2 litres with water, and pass a current of sulphuretted hydrogen till the iron is reduced, the copper and silver precipitated, and the liquor smells of the gas. This takes about one hour and a half.
Filter off the precipitate (rejecting the solution) and wash with warm water. Dry and transfer to an evaporating dish, adding the ashes of the filter paper. Heat gently with a Bunsen burner until the sulphur burns, and then calcine until no more sulphurous oxide comes off. When cold add 30 c.c. of nitric acid, boil and dilute to 100 c.c. Add 1 c.c. of very dilute hydrochloric acid (1 to 100),[15] stir well, and allow to stand overnight. Decant on to a Swedish filter paper, dry and calcine.