1	The metals are dissolved in nitric acid then neutralized with pure silver metal.
2	Crystals of silver nitrate are separated from the liquid
3	The crystals are cleaned off with acid or rinsing solvent
4	The crystals are dissolved again and the solution is filtered, the filtrate is re-crystallized.*
5	The now white crystals are rinsed in a rinsing solvent (this removes impurities, neutralizes, aids in drying and anti-caking)
6	The now purified silver nitrate is quick dried and stored for packaging

 

* the crystals are graded; if not pass, steps 3 & 4 are repeated until considered a high-grade reagent.

 

SILVER METALS

Pure Silver is generally supplied in ingots containing 999 parts to 1000, and are sold by the troy ounce. Sterling silver will produce a solution containing 92.5% metal content and not more than 90.0% for coin silver.  In the laboratory silver nitrate is formed from silver coins and sterling silver which has been purified to form silver nitrate well above 99% pure and 99.9% silver metal content. Silver from the mine assays generally contain up to .5 gram of gold for every one pound of silver nitrate produced! Steps 3 & 4 usually has to be repeated five times to remove the gold. Other metal content such as: copper, zinc, nickel, lead is generally rinsed away in the first two repeats. The rinsing solvent is inert to the silver nitrate. This removes more impurities, neutralizes the crystals removing the 'nitric smell', polishes the crystals to avoid caking, and aids in the final drying.  Over all it takes one pound of silver to produce one pound of silver nitrate. The waste product is always recycled.

Gallery of Photos click here  The Silver Calculator

Lunar Lye Hi-Sol ACS HIGH-GRADE SILVER NITRATE

Lunar Lye Hi-Sol is back and better than ever! We mechanically pulverize the already standard small crystals then polish this granulate before being rapid dried then desiccant dried for a week of more!  Lunar Lye silver nitrate is very high soluble in water and other solvents.  This finely grounded silver nitrate is now available in all 100g sizes.  Extra caution is needed as this product becomes more airborne when the powders are agitated, or poured.

SILVER REDUCTION REACTIONS Silver metal can be extracted from the nitrate fairly easy.  Silver nitrate itself is not photo or light-sensitive. Silver nitrate when allowed to sit in open air will be reduced not by the air, but by trace components of air such as sulfur-dioxide, and halogens.  Silver nitrate will be reduced  by many organic substances, and even by the skin! That means dark spots; stains will appear on the skin, clothing, wood, and just about anything in open air and light.  Silver metal will be formed by a mixture of sugar and silver nitrate, this is a highly exothermic reaction.  Another is using any organic reducing agents in water.  Warning, certain reactions take place with explosive-like results, and any reduction reaction involving silver nitrate should be done in water. The easiest way to make silver is to use pure copper, and place in a silver nitrate solution, this is a substitution type reaction, where copper nitrate solution will be formed.  Another reaction is the caustic syurp, where the silver nitrate in solution is mixed with a solution of dissolved sugar and sodium hydroxide.  This reaction avoids the other trans-metals, and forms cement-silver, a silver powder that is mossy in appearance and similar to cement mix.  SILVER OXIDE Silver Oxide or Silver (I) Oxide is made from silver nitrate solution, it is a fine talc-like dark black-brown powder. ( Silver (I) Oxide or Ag2O is what offered on this site)  Our high grade silver oxide takes one week to transform from the nitrate.  Silver Oxide sold by other suppliers is very expensive...generally 3 to 5 times our price.  We have a proprietary silver oxide drying technique which allows us to create a from-start-to-finish product in less than one week. In drying we use a high velocity centrifuge which also pressure washes the oxide.  Silver Oxide is at least 99.9% metal basis, is 93.1% silver by mass. Silver Oxide will ship without MSDS, however it should be handled the same way as silver nitrate. Silver oxide is a less corrosive alternative to silver nitrate in glass making and glazing.  SILVER METAL POWDER ~ CAS 7440-22-4 The silver metal powder will be of the micronized smooth powder, this is similar to that used in the Silver Smiths' Metal Clay Powder.  The silver metal powder we produce has a light white-gray appearance and the consistency of flour but a lot denser. Silver powder is made by the alde-ose reduction of silver oxide.  This is then rinsed then quick dried, pulverized then desiccant dried for over a month!  Our silver powder is supplied bone dry and not under oils.  Our prices on silver powder is amongst the lowest for both grade and quantity. Silver metal powder is at least 99.99% metal basis.  SILVER SMITHS' METAL CLAY POWDER This product contains at least 2 grades of a silver powder.  The binder is made up of special sugars and starch which when mixed water becomes a dilatant able to hold silver particles in place until fully dry.  The metal clay powder is at minimum 94% Silver with a grade of at least 99.9% silver metal fineness.   This product is supplied dry. Water must be applied to activate its properties for use. Water in addition to oils and waxes may be used for pliability.  Ultra Pure GOLD Powder Ultra Pure Gold Metal Powder is selectively separated from cupric compound precipitates.  This ensures the gold powder is more evenly sized, has less crystalline structure and a tap density of over 5 grams per cubic centimeter.  The powder is supplied dry and has assayed to being 99.999% fineness. This dense gold powder is suitable for lower temperature sintering, and is often used as overlay to the Silver Smiths' MCP.  BeingGREEN SILVERNITRATE.ORGs laboratory is leaving little impact.  As recyclers of many metals we strive to recover everything with leaving nearly any waste.  Currently from our laboratory operations the only waste product emitted is rust water.  We are aware of the impact of heavy metals like silver and copper have on the environment and we make sure neither are released.  Nitrogen dioxide aka NOx compounds are scrubbed with dry soda and even that spent soda compounds is in return used as part of our refining procedure. The laboratory its self is operational on just 1kW/h per shift! WARNINGS Overview (silver compounds) Silver nitrate is a chemical reagent and is considered mildly a heavy metal. Silver nitrate is a poisonous substance. Avoid dusts, and heating. Silver nitrate will stain about anything it comes in contact with; stains will darken under light. 99% of laboratory uses for silver nitrate is for a silver nitrate solution, silver nitrate + water. Silver nitrate should never be mixed with or allowed contact to: ammonia, ethyl-alcohol, organic-acids, organic-gases. When handling silver nitrate, always wear resistant gloves, protective clothing, and face shielding. Silver Nitrate is an environmental pollutant in that it ceases microbial growth in septic and waste water treatment facilities. Waste silver nitrate should not be discarded down a drain, recycle if possible, or mix with table salt and water before emptying into a drain. Store in a dark, damp-free, cool area. Read MSDS for more information~any user should have a knowledgeable understanding and experience handling silver nitrate or any lab-chemical. Silver Oxide is a less-corrosive alternative to silver nitrate in most applications requiring solid product, however it should be treated like silver nitrate. Silver oxide will stain much like the nitrate. Avoid inhaling dusts. Never allow silver oxide to come in contact with ammonia.