Summary for stripping rhodium from copper wire Discussion
Stripping rhodium from copper wire is the central question here, with Jaime Silva asking how to recover rhodium from plated hanger wire for refining, and whether hot sulfuric acid could do the job. Neil Bell advises that sulfuric acid will dissolve the copper, so the practical route is to send the rhodium-plated wire to a refiner that handles rhodium. Jaime then asks whether any in-house stripping process exists for use with a Gold Bug recovery system. Todd Huehn offers a more specific in-house possibility: if the copper wire has a nickel underplate and there is a path for a 19:1 sulfuric/nitric acid mix at about 120 °F to reach the base, the acid can undermine the nickel and the rhodium may come off as flakes, since rhodium itself is very inert and will not dissolve. The thread therefore presents differing views, with one answer favoring outside refining and another describing a possible chemical strip under certain plating conditions.
Q. We are a jewelry manufacturer in Mexico and we have a good quantity or Copper wire that has Rhodium plated on it, because we use the wire to hang our parts during rhodium plating.
We are interested in stripping the Rhodium so that we can have it refined. We do this presently with our gold plated wire.
Thanks for any advice.
Jaime Silva
Jewelry manufacturer plater – Mexico City, Mexico
2007
Q. I’d like to clarify my question, HOW can we strip the Rhodium from the copper wire?
Can Hot sulfuric acid do the job?
Thanks again,
Jaime Silva
– Mexico City, Mexico
2007
A. The sulfuric acid will dissolve the copper. Just send your rhodium plated wire to a refiner that handles rhodium.
Neil Bell
Albuquerque, New Mexico
2007
Q. Neil
Thanks, there is no stripping process to do it in house?
We have a Gold Bug to recover precious metals in our plant and we’d like to recover the Rhodium from a solution.
Any advice will be very much appreciated
Thanks again,
Jaime Silva
– Mexico City, Mexico
2007
A. Strip rhodium from copper wire if there is a under plate of nickel on the copper wire.. and if there is a “path” for the 19-1 mixture of sulfuric and nitric acid at about 120 °F. Paths mean if there is an area where the mixture can get to the base as Rh is very inert. it will not dissolve the Rh as the Rh will be flakes coming off but it will undermine the Nickel and come off.
Todd Huehn
– Blaine, Minnesota
2007