What You Need to Know about Silver Solutions, Suspensions and Colloids

Recycle Precious MetalsRecycle Refine Silver
Written By Barry Lenson

Silver can be found in many kinds of liquids, including printing inks, cosmetics, medicinal creams, chemicals used in a variety of industrial processes, and more.  And as we have written on this blog before, Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners has the expertise and experience to separate silver scrap from the liquids where they are found. In many cases, that process is simple - we introduce a chemical which causes silver to precipitate out of the solution. That’s another way of saying that the silver falls to the bottom.

However, not all liquids that contain silver are the same. Generally, they are classified as solutions, suspensions, and colloids. Understanding these three classifications will help you understand what kind of silver-bearing chemical you have, and also understand how a precious metal refinery like ours will process those chemicals you send us for processing.

Solutions

A solution is a mixture of two or more substances that are not physically or visibly separated from each other. In colloids and suspensions (see below), that kind of chemical bonding has not taken place; those substances contain different substances that remain visibly separate and never combine.

Some examples of solutions include:

  • Salt water, in which salt molecules are dispersed invisibly in water.

  • Karat gold, which contains both pure 24K gold and other metals that are mixed with it. If it seems odd to you that karat gold is a solution, remember that it you heat it until it melts, it will become a liquid that contains several different substances that will not separate.

  • Chemicals that are used to develop photographic film, which contain silver and other chemicals that will not separate.

Colloids

A colloid is a mixture in which particles of one substance are distributed evenly through another substance, but do not bond chemically with it.  Some examples of colloids include:

  • Cosmetic creams that contain small flecks of gold, which is said to reverse the effects of aging or work other magic on the skin.

  • Mayonnaise, which is a kind of egg-based goo that contains spices, salt, and other additives that actually “float”  separately in that goo, and which are never absorbed.

Suspensions

A suspension is a liquid in which other solids float around. As is the case with a colloid, those extra substances are not absorbed by the liquid or “goo” that holds them. But a difference between a colloid and a suspension is that in a colloid, those extra substances are held physically where they are in the substance where they are found. In a suspension, they fall to the bottom. Some common examples of suspensions include:

  • Bottled salad dressings, in which bits of spices and herbs fall to the bottom. In order to mix them with the liquid part of the dressing, you have to shake the bottle. 

  • Metallic paints that contain metallic flecks that are distributed evenly through a clear lacquer. Before you apply the paint, you have to stir it to distribute those flecks evenly. And after you apply the paint, that lacquer dries to a thin layer that holds the metallic flakes, giving the visual impressions that a layer of metal has been applied to the underlying surface.

So, How Much Silver Does Your Liquid Contain?

That, of course, is the million-dollar question. And at Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners, we can answer it by performing some tests right here in our labs.

Give us a call at 800-426-2344 to get the conversation started.

Barry Lenson
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