Sciencemadness Discussion Board
Not logged in [Login ]
Go To Bottom

Printable Version  
Author: Subject: anyone want to make a 'little' profit?
Jor
National Hazard
****




Posts: 950
Registered: 21-11-2007
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-9-2009 at 10:44
anyone want to make a 'little' profit?


I don't want to do it, but I couldn't resist posting the link to this great deal:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PLATINUM-ON-QUARTZ-WOOL-27-8-100g_W0QQ...

This is 27,8g platinum, wich is worth about 1140 euro at spot price. They are selling this for an astounding price of 860 EUR (+20 EUR shippings), so one could in theory make a profit of about 260 EUR out of this.

I think it can be extracted from the wool by dissolving in hot aqua regia, passing in chlorine to oxidise to PtCl6(2-), and precitipating the ammonium salt of this complex by adding ammonia.

This could then be decomposed I think by thermolysis to yield pure platinum.

I thought, I just let you know, it's too much of a risk for me if anything goes wrong, as I don't have a lot of money :( . And after all I wouldn't know where to sell the pure platinum.

And you could always keep some as a catalyst. Could the one who buys it post pictures of the refining please :P
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Contrabasso
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 277
Registered: 2-4-2008
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-9-2009 at 12:48


Could also be used for gas phase catalysis. I understand that SO2 to SO3 is done over a platinum catalyst in industry, the V2O5 catalyst suffering from poisoning due to impurities.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
argyrium
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 123
Registered: 3-2-2008
Location: Pacific
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-9-2009 at 14:41


Actually, the price is set per Troy oz. and not our "common" Avoirdupois (31.1/28.0 g). So your profit will be a tad less than you might anticipate.

Aloha
View user's profile View All Posts By User
UnintentionalChaos
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 1454
Registered: 9-12-2006
Location: Mars
Member Is Offline

Mood: Nucleophilic

[*] posted on 29-9-2009 at 14:53


There is no profit to be had at all.

http://www.kitco.com/market/

Platinum is currently about £800/ozt (1ozt=31.10g; 1oz=28.35g)

(27.8/31.10)*800=£715

And it's for sale for £780+shipping

[Edited on 9-29-09 by UnintentionalChaos]




Department of Redundancy Department - Now with paperwork!

'In organic synthesis, we call decomposition products "crap", however this is not a IUPAC approved nomenclature.' -Nicodem
View user's profile View All Posts By User
watson.fawkes
International Hazard
*****




Posts: 2793
Registered: 16-8-2008
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 29-9-2009 at 16:33


Quote: Originally posted by Contrabasso  
Could also be used for gas phase catalysis. I understand that SO2 to SO3 is done over a platinum catalyst in industry, the V2O5 catalyst suffering from poisoning due to impurities.
V2O5 poisoning is primarily through arsenic. In most situations, there's no arsenic in the input sulfur stream, and so V2O5 works just fine. It's far cheaper than platinum.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
a_bab
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 458
Registered: 15-9-2002
Member Is Offline

Mood: Angry !!!!!111111...2?!

[*] posted on 2-10-2009 at 01:27


Even worse, other cheaper oxides work just as well (well, maybe 10% less eficient), such as Fe2O3.

The arsenic is a problem, depending on the source of SO2. If it comes from roasted sulphides (lead, zinc), then it will appear next to it's yellow cousin. If the nature already purified the sulphur in a volcano, and the man says "wow, lets make some sulphuric acid out of this clean sulphur", then no platinum is needed. But the native sulphur is more expensive.
It's all a matter of profit/possibilities.
View user's profile View All Posts By User
Contrabasso
Hazard to Others
***




Posts: 277
Registered: 2-4-2008
Member Is Offline

Mood: No Mood

[*] posted on 3-10-2009 at 02:35


Now if someone was to buy this ebay lot then I would buy part of it from you!

100g is more than I can afford or justify, but 5 - 10g would be a very nice stock item.
View user's profile View All Posts By User

  Go To Top