chemrox
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getting mercury salts out of vacuum glassware
I want to clean a McLeod Gauge of Hg oxide or chloride (not sure which). It's a white residue from once distilled Hg exposed to halide and mineral
acid vapors. I'm thinking nitric would work best but am not sure.
Thanks,
CRX
"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
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bahamuth
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Would suggest, if disposal of the mercurial waste is no problem to clean it with aqua regia, takes care of most if not all metal
contaminants on glass. If any problem to remove white residue, heat it a little, ~50C.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
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smuv
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Please post how everything works out. I have the exact same problem.
"Titanium tetrachloride…You sly temptress." --Walter Bishop
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chemrox
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OK-I'm going to start with nitiric and if that doesn't do it I'll try aqua regia. The problem is we got some shitty Hg.
"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
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chemrox
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Nitric seems to be working. The residue was white. Now the 70% HNO3 is colored green and there is some metalic Hg back in the lines where there had
been some white material. I initially suspected HgCl. Would HNO3 reduce HgCl to Hg and release Cl2? It's still in process. Sonification speeded
things up for awhile but it was time to come home and go to bed!
"When you let the dumbasses vote you end up with populism followed by autocracy and getting back is a bitch." Plato (sort of)
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unionised
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Just for the record, I2/ KI solution also works.
Might be handy for those whose stocks of HNO3 are limited.
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Jor
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Quote: Originally posted by chemrox  | | Nitric seems to be working. The residue was white. Now the 70% HNO3 is colored green and there is some metalic Hg back in the lines where there had
been some white material. I initially suspected HgCl. Would HNO3 reduce HgCl to Hg and release Cl2? It's still in process. Sonification speeded
things up for awhile but it was time to come home and go to bed! |
No why would nitric acid reduce Hg2Cl2 to metallic Hg and Cl2? If it would oxidise the chloride, it would form chlorine and mercurous nitrate, but it
will oxidise the Hg(I) instead to Hg(II).
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