Five Nines Pure Silver Crystals

[Sputins]

Refining silver has nothing much to do with the Energetic Forum or energy as such. However from the view point of the crystal shape, growth and just because it’s cool and fun, I’ll post some of my dabbling into this process.

Silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals, it defines conductivity apparently. Pure silver has the highest optical reflectivity of all metals and pure silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any metal.

The Silver Crystals are produced from 98 – 99% silver shot and utilising an “Electrolytic Silver Cell”. The electrolytic silver cell takes the 98-99% silver and refines it near 99.999% pure, or “Five Nines Pure”.

The Electrolytic Silver Cell consists of an Anode basket which contains a fine cotton filter. The 98% silver shot is placed in it. This anode basket is suspended in a container, (in this case a beaker or a stainless steel bowl) filled with a near saturated silver nitrate solution as the electrolyte. On the bottom of the container there is a Stainless steel electrode plate, the Cathode.





+3.3 volts is applied to the Anode, (silver shot) which may produce perhaps 2 amps of conduction current or less. Soon after the EMF is applied, small purified metallic silver crystals begin to grow on the cathode. Over a period of many hours, the crystals grow to a point where they’ll terminate on the anode basket and cause a short circuit (blows a deliberate in-line fuse), but best not to allow that to happen.

The growth rate of the crystals can be controlled by controlling the conduction current. Less current forms slow growing small (but well defined and formed) crystals. Higher current allows for faster growing crystals, with more needle-like structures. Current is controlled by the strength of the silver nitrate solution, with the bench power supply, or added resistance.

The silver crystals are sort of organic looking and almost look like aquatic plants, which grow slowly in real time before your eyes. And indeed these five nines pure silver crystals look stunningly beautiful to the eye.

[Sputins]

Crystals

The following are some pictures of the crystals forming inside the electrolytic solution. A beaker is used to allow one to see through.




Possible “Tubes of Force” are visible? These two photos are with the EMF applied. The optical disturbances in the solution are actually seen with the eye. The emanations appear to come from the Crystals toward the Anode bag. They swirl and move and the crystals appear to grow into them. Are these Tubes of force made visible by the conduction current via the EMF and Silver Ions?


Organic looking, electrical discharge like, tubes of force are visible between the top of the Silver Crystal and the anode bag.


The Crystals grew too big, touch-down. Short circuit, replace fuse.


Aquatic plants?






This Silver Crystal is about 5cm or 2 inches in length. I’ve collected several like this...

[Sputins]

Scanning Electron Microscope

Okay so let’s “image” these Silver Crystals even further!

I know someone who knows someone with access to a million dollar “Scanning Electron Microscope”.

So I asked my someone and they sent the crystals in to the SEM team. The SEM people loved the Crystals and took glee in checking them out. These are some preliminary pictures!

Starting out at 1mm scale and going through and down to 5um, four scales in the series of pictures.

Each scale has two images, the ETD which is the standard electron scan and the BSTD which is called the back-scatter scan. With the silver crystal, it shows different contrasts.

1mm ETD:


1mm BSTD:


500uM ETD:


500um BSED:


30um ETD:


30um BSTD:


5um ETD:


5um BSTD:


These scans were an initial 5 minute play and I’m told they’ll have another more detailed in depth look at them.
Stay tuned....

[bistander]

Cool. Thanks.

[Ernst]

Nice!
The greenish colour is from the chromium from the stainless steel?
(If I remember correctly, silver nitrate is colourless)
If so, then you can increase the purity by using a platinum electrode.
(remember those platinum plated razor blades? those could be a good source)

In general, crystals grow more beautifully in an absolutely shock-free environment. I don't know if you have already paid attention to creating an shock-free cradle for your crystals. But if not, it is worth a try.

Enjoy!

Ernst.

[Sputins]

Copper

Nice!
The greenish colour is from the chromium from the stainless steel?
(If I remember correctly, silver nitrate is colourless)
If so, then you can increase the purity by using a platinum electrode.
(remember those platinum plated razor blades? those could be a good source)

In general, crystals grow more beautifully in an absolutely shock-free environment. I don't know if you have already paid attention to creating an shock-free cradle for your crystals. But if not, it is worth a try.

Enjoy!

Ernst.

Hi Ernst, all
True, the silver nitrate solution starts out quite clear. The greenish colour comes from the silver shot feed stock which is not quite pure. The feed stock has traces of iron and copper in it and it is the copper that turns the silver nitrate greenish over a period of time.

A certain amount of dissolved copper in the silver nitrate is acceptable. In fact some copper is desirable as it contributes to a higher conduction current through the electrolyte thus faster growing crystals. Too much dissolved copper however will begin to contaminate the crystals.

Once the dissolved copper has reached a level of excess, its then time to cement out the silver from the solution and start all over again.

It takes 1.2mls of 67-70% Nitric acid to dissolve 1g of pure silver. Since the beaker shown has near 600mls of electrolyte, the electrolyte is made of 298mls of Nitric Acid plus 298mls of distilled water to dissolve 248g of silver. So the electrolyte itself has quite a lot of silver dissolved in it.

A shock free environment makes sense to me.

I also wonder if creating a DC power supply with absolute minimal ripple may give rise to better defined crystals. The DC supply used is simply a PC power supply using the 3.3volt rail. (Which is what you want, 3.3v at about 10 amps). Higher voltages will contaminate the crystals, so a maximum of about 4v. I’ve thought about adding in a large choke and smoothing capacitor to the DC supply.

[Ernst]

I have been making all kinds of crystals (but no silver crystals) in the past. And what I learned was that some crystals are very sensitive to shocks while growing.
In order to make really nice ones you must really do all you can to eliminate shocks.
Your silver crystals appear to have this same sensitivity.

Perhaps a more continuous current would also do miracles, just try to make the most continuous environment in all respects, and let them grow slowly. (low current)

Those are my thoughts.
Please share future results.


Ernst.

[gene gene]

Just beautiful!!!
Thanks for sharing, Gene