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Ok so i know that the silver nitrate batch i just made up has turned cloudy and hence is silver chloride.But how much so? Can i still use it to make metallic crystals (i think some people call them magic trees). The prac where you have spiral of copper wire suspended in a small beaker and pour silver nitrate over, the copper is displaced and the silver hangs onto the copper wire. its straight out of Science Focus 4, 2nd edition, prac 2.1.1 pgae 41? is it stuffed or can i still use it?

jamb66 wrote:Ok so i know that the silver nitrate batch i just made up has turned cloudy and hence is silver chloride.But how much so? Can i still use it to make metallic crystals (i think some people call them magic trees). The prac where you have spiral of copper wire suspended in a small beaker and pour silver nitrate over, the copper is displaced and the silver hangs onto the copper wire. its straight out of Science Focus 4, 2nd edition, prac 2.1.1 pgae 41? is it stuffed or can i still use it?

You can try. It really depends on how much of the silver has been precipitated out of solution. At best, it is going to be less effective than a solution made using deionised water.

Magic Trees: Works because Copper is more reactive than silver and therefore "steals away its partner". (Actually, it donates elecrons to silver.)
Cu(s) + 2 AgNO3(aq) = 2 Ag(s) + Cu(NO3)2(aq)

Silver Chloride insoluble, and forms a suspension of fine solid particals. The suspension won't react as readily as an aqueous solution.
AgNO3(aq) + NaCl(aq) = AgCl(s) + NaNO3

Sodium being much more reactive than copper, means it will not make the switch.
Cu(s) + 2 NaNO3(aq) = nada

Many thanks for that Graham.
I did a trial run with a piece of copper into the silver nitrate and it seems to be working enough. I initally used water from my deionise filter but it seems to have taken a holiday and chosen not to come back working. Maybe time to replace the cartridges me thinks.