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How to do silvering using reducing agents

2004

Dear Sirs,

I wish to silver some seeds that I'd like to metallize with copper and after that, with a noble metal (silver / gold). I washed the seeds with common soap , after this, I washed with distilled water. I put them in a solution with stannous chloride (Sn Cl2) + HCl to order to sensitize then. I washed them with distilled water to remove the solution.

I prepared a solution with silver nitrate (Ag NO3) and put ammonium NH4OH till I observed a precipitated (White). Then I put the seeds into solution and took a solution (diluted glucose) to reduce the silver like a mirror over all the seeds. This did not occur. What happened? What other reducing agent could I used to? Rochelle salt [on eBay or Amazon] ? Formol? How can I use these agents ? What the difference among these reducing agents? Can you help me?

Thanks for yours help.

Alq Sergio Costa
student - Porto Alegre, Rio Grande so Sul, Brazil

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I believe you missed caustic soda [affil links] in your formula.
p.s be very careful as small as 100 mg of silver nitrate and ammonia [on eBay or Amazon] can harm.

Good luck

Khair Shishani
aircraft maintenance - Al Ain, UAE
2004

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Ed. note: Khair is apparently alluding to explosive silver fulminates which can be created in this process. Carefully research that topic before any such experiments.