Silver Nitrate Preservative

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Hello Apugers! I want to do Salt & Vandyke prints. Is it a must to preserve the AgNO3 if so can I use Sodium Benzoate? Thanks!

 

[Gerald C Koch]

Silver nitrate is a powerful anti-bacterial in itself and so no preservatives are needed.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

I was given some silver nitrate crystals which had been sitting in a brown plastic bottle since '96. It's working fine.

 

[NedL]

I have a bottle of 24% silver nitrate solution and a bottle of 12% citric acid solution that I made up more than a year ago and they are still fine. I read that they keep better if you keep them separate, so that's what I did. Just about time to make more!

 

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Thanks so far to those that have replied! I read on The AP site that for Vandyke they use Tartaric acid as an oxidant and so I was under the impression it was a preservative.
So is Tartaric absolutely necessary or can the AgNO3 be used/kept without it?

 

[pdeeh]

As Ned says, Silver nitrate solution can be used/kept without it, although the solution is probably best made with distilled water

the role of Tartaric acid in Vandyke is not as a preservative.

(I use Tartaric acid as part of a recipe for lemon cordial - delicious )

 

[Mainecoonmaniac]

They use silver coatings as an anti-microbial.
Dead Link Removed

 

[ced]

Thanks to those that have added info. I found this article and among others caused me to pose my original question...
http://micks.hubpages.com/hub/Creating-a-Real-Salt-Print