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  4. How to extrct zinc from brass
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How to extrct zinc from brass

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Offline eric2011 (OP)

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How to extrct zinc from brass
« on: 19/05/2021 15:09:53 »
Hi does anyone know how can I extract  zinc metal from brass with acids and some salts at home? When I searched through youtube I found people dissolving brass in nitric acid. How and is it possible to add some metal salt to precipitate zinc?

Gracias
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Offline Bored chemist

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Re: How to extrct zinc from brass
« Reply #1 on: 19/05/2021 18:44:30 »
Brass will dissolve in nitric acid.
The process will result in the production of toxic gases like nitrogen dioxide.

Eventually, you will have a solution of zinc nitrate and copper nitrate.

If you carefully add an excess of sodium hydroxide to that solution, you will get a solution of sodium zincate, and a precipitate of copper hydroxide.

Why do you want to?
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Offline CliffordK

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Re: How to extrct zinc from brass
« Reply #2 on: 19/05/2021 20:56:28 »
How much time do you have?

Boats have a problem that salt water will leach zinc out of brass leaving a copper sponge behind. 

They also frequently use a zinc anode for galvanic corrosion, with the zinc anodes slowly being eaten away.

I would think you could speed up the process and improve recovery with a battery.

I may get it backwards...  but I think a zinc cathode connected to positive, and the brass connected to negative.  The salt may not matter a lot, although I think chloride salts are discouraged because they can release chlorine gas.  Thus NaOH, KOH, or perhaps an acid.

Over time you should get a similar copper sponge as one would get by using brass screws in a salt water boat, and the zinc would plate onto the positive


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Re: How to extrct zinc from brass
« Reply #3 on: 19/05/2021 21:16:17 »
In principle, you can distill the zinc out of molten brass.
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Re: How to extrct zinc from brass
« Reply #4 on: 19/05/2021 21:38:51 »
I want to obtain zinc metal from brass
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Offline Bored chemist

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Re: How to extrct zinc from brass
« Reply #5 on: 19/05/2021 22:17:30 »
Sell the brass; buy zinc.
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Offline CliffordK

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Re: How to extrct zinc from brass
« Reply #6 on: 22/05/2021 03:26:50 »
Of course the easiest way to extract zinc from a US penny would be to get one made in the last 20 years and carefully sand off the outer layer of copper/bronze.
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