Ferrous sulphate !! How it works exactly ??

[4metals]

but it's equally as viable to just put the crystals in the solution and stir well.

This will work too, but the heating, acidification, and filtering will make for a cleaner solution to drop the gold. Without the steps to clean up the ferrous, all of the insolubles you didn't filter out will co-mingle with the clean gold you are dropping.

 

[BGDOCK]

I keep a some of the leftover iron sulphate solution on my iron sulphate crystals , Then dry out the crystals as needed . This is picture of the first drop
I like using FeSO4.

Jeff

 

[anachronism]

This will work too, but the heating, acidification, and filtering will make for a cleaner solution to drop the gold. Without the steps to clean up the ferrous, all of the insolubles you didn't filter out will co-mingle with the clean gold you are dropping.

They certainly would co-mingle if the pregnant solution isn't filtered. I probably wasn't clear, as I meant adding the crystals to a filtered solution. It also makes for less waste liquid. Any undissolved Ferrous Sulphate easily dissolves in a hot water wash.

 

[4metals]

I only use ferrous sulfate on solutions containing appreciable quantities of PGM's in solution along with Gold. I like it because there is no odor and it leaves the PGM's in a valence state that makes subsequent recovery more complete.

I don't like it because it adds substantially to the volume of solution you will eventually have to treat as waste.

What Anachronism suggests addresses the extra waste solution and it is a valid option. However finding fresh ferrous sulfate that has not started down the road that Thomas M Joseph describes;

It degrades into Iron III sulfate and Iron III oxide-hydroxide. Degradation is noted by a color change from pale green crystals to whiteish, yellowish, to brownish appearance.

Depending on how far down this road to degradation the ferrous sulfate has traveled, the less useful it is and the more insoluble crap you will add to to your freshly precipitated gold.

I have struggled over the years to keep any quantity of nice green ferrous sulfate crystals fresh for an extended period of time. Has anyone here found a way to keep their ferrous ferrous?

 

[anachronism]

I only use ferrous sulfate on solutions containing appreciable quantities of PGM's in solution along with Gold. I like it because there is no odor and it leaves the PGM's in a valence state that makes subsequent recovery more complete.

I don't like it because it adds substantially to the volume of solution you will eventually have to treat as waste.

What Anachronism suggests addresses the extra waste solution and it is a valid option. However finding fresh ferrous sulfate that has not started down the road that Thomas M Joseph describes;

Depending on how far down this road to degradation the ferrous sulfate has traveled, the less useful it is and the more insoluble crap you will add to to your freshly precipitated gold.

I have struggled over the years to keep any quantity of nice green ferrous sulfate crystals fresh for an extended period of time. Has anyone here found a way to keep their ferrous ferrous?

A sealed opaque plastic tub works for me. I only remove the lid when I'm using it.

 

[BGDOCK]

I only use ferrous sulfate on solutions containing appreciable quantities of PGM's in solution along with Gold. I like it because there is no odor and it leaves the PGM's in a valence state that makes subsequent recovery more complete.

I don't like it because it adds substantially to the volume of solution you will eventually have to treat as waste.

What Anachronism suggests addresses the extra waste solution and it is a valid option. However finding fresh ferrous sulfate that has not started down the road that Thomas M Joseph describes;

Depending on how far down this road to degradation the ferrous sulfate has traveled, the less useful it is and the more insoluble crap you will add to to your freshly precipitated gold.

I have struggled over the years to keep any quantity of nice green ferrous sulfate crystals fresh for an extended period of time. Has anyone here found a way to keep their ferrous ferrous?

 

[BGDOCK]

Kept wet a mason jar with a dukes mayonnaise lid. Filtered/ drain as needed . The iron sulphate solution is supersaturated note the crystals formed in the filtered or captured solution .