AgNO3 Solution Clouding

Hi,

I’m looking for help with my Silver Nitrare solution.

I’ve made up several batches over the last few year but just this week when I added 24g of AgNO3 to 100ml of distilled water the solution immediately turn milk white and a chalky precipitation formed.

All components were from previously used stock. The distilled water might have been cooler that usual at 7-9C but otherwise things were as usual.

I now am trying to trouble shot and and even perhaps recover my spoilt solution.

Has anyone had a similar problem?

All input will be gratefully received

HarryW

You possibly had a contamination, probably chloride was there. Wash well the glass in what you make the mix with distilled water, perhaps it had Cl salts from drying marks, etc, or water was not distilled.

If you have any chloride or other halide in water, silver nitrate reacts to form an insoluble precipitate of silver chloride or the respective halide.

So I'd try to get water that's well distilled for sure to make the mix and also I'd wash the glass with it before mixing.

Silver nitrate still has a lot of solubility by 10ºC : https://saltlakemetals.com/solubility_of_silver_nitrate/ , so I guess that's not temperature, more likely it's a contamination, IMO.

Seven to nine C? That is pretty cold. Try 20C.

PE

Water wasn't pure. Contaminated container. Chlorinated water will salt out silver chloride, in a past life I titrated chloride determinations with silver nitrate solution. Beautiful fluffy white silver chloride formed.

Many thanks to all.

In the process of a thorough clean up I discovered that I had used something other that distilled water. Next time I’ll be more careful with labelling.

Thanks again

HarryW