Re: [Phys-l] A Silver Spoon.

[Bernard Cleyet <bernardcleyet@redshift.com>]

I remember an exercise in Frosh chem. to separate the Ag from the Cu in 
dimes (this dates us).  All I can remember is first dissolving it in 
acid (HCl?) and at the end throwing in salt to force completion of the 
precipitation (common ion effect).  I'm certain Michael can tell all or 
any old inorganic text.

You could try irradiating it w/ gammas from a smoke detector or nearly 
dead Mössbauer (Co-57) source, and looking at the fluorescence w/ a 
prop. counter tube and MCA.   (even better a SS detector)     

bc

Brian Whatcott wrote:

> My son brought me a silver spoon and asked me to identify the material.
> It weighed 23.1 gm dry, and  20.5 gm submerged in water.
>
> The markings were "International Silver Co" and DAL
> and we supposed that this was part of an airline setting for the
>  first class service.  The density is on the borderline for
> cupronickel or Britannia metal or German silver I suppose.
> I know that a "metallometer" would identify the constituents,
> but I don't have one.
> I do have a Star project spectrometer, and various power supplies,
> so that I could sustain a spark to the spoon.
>
> I wonder if I could distinguish copper, tin, zinc, lead, nickel
>  or bismuth in this way? Perhaps there are easy chemical color tests?
>
>
> Brian Whatcott    Altus OK    Eureka! 
>
>
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