this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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I'll be drying the silver out and weighing it sometime in the next couple days. Closest guess when I do gets bragging rights! (And absolutely nothing else)

The scale was zeroed with the beaker empty, and it contains only water and silver (and a trace amount of copper nitrate). If you have a strategy behind your guess, please do share it!

all 48 comments
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[–] jjagaimo 57 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)
Density of silver: 10.49g/mL
Density of water: 1g/mL

Total mass: 1464g
Total volume: 700mL

x = volume of silver, mL
y = volume of water, mL

10.49x + 1y = 1464
x+y = 700

9.49x=764
x=80.5058mL of silver

10.49x = 
10.49 × 80.5058 =

844.51g of silver

Probably an over estimate [of just the silver] due to the copper so probably more like 835-840g. [If just evaporating, the mass would be higher due to the lower density of the impurities like copper sulfate, so more around 845-850g. E.g. 5mL of copper sulfate would be 830g of silver and 18g copper sulfate = 848g]

[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Damn, you were faster than I was, I was just calculating the same thing. All I have left is to assume that they won't be able to fully dry the silver and guess a bit higher... 850g.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Unfortunately for you, I've got a hot plate and it gets pretty darn hot.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

Also if your melting it into a bar, the furnace would likely dry it enough for most to consider it "dry"

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago

Unfortunately you weren't the closest (ended up being 817g and some people undercut you) but I will give you the award for most sensible calculation.

[–] Sixtyforce 12 points 5 days ago (1 children)

830g.

People already did the work for me , so I'm playing The Price Is Right is my methodology.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 days ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Congrats, you got it, ended up being 817g. I think the real winners are the people who actually did the calculations though. :)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

Lol, no way! Flippantly trying to out Price is Right someone ftw.
The people doing the real work are definitely the winners

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago

Thanks for your guesses, everyone! The final dry weight turned out to be 817g.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

It was about that time I noticed that nice little amateur chemist was a three story tall crustacean from the Mesozoic!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

250ml solution (mostly water on top) = 250g

700g (if 700ml water) - 250g = 450ml silver slurry

450ml silver powder weight (dry) = 1800g

1464g (total) - 250g (excess water) = 1214g

450ml slurry = 1214g slurry

1800g (dry silver) - 1214g (silver slurry) = 516g (516ml water in slurry)

1464g (total) - 516g (water) = 948g silver powder.

I always miss something obviously stupid when doing math in public. However, it sounds suspiciously close to a 1kg starting weight of silver though.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I always miss something

Yes, in the very last line, it made no sense anymore (and I bet you felt it in your gut).

It should not be:

1464g (total) - 516g (water) = 948g silver powder.

but rather:

1214g (silver slurry) - 516g (water in slurry) = 698g silver powder.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Damnit. I edited with that correction, but deleted the edit, cause who the fuck knows why. Was kind of in a rush at the time, and didn't think I would have been silly enough to miss the 250g.

Good cach and yeah, I felt it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

1800g (dry silver) - 1214g (silver slurry) = 516g (516ml water in slurry)

What? Why? I'm kind of sure that this is wrong (subtracting (water + silver) from silver can't get you water, you could get (silver - water) at best) but I'm interested in the reasoning here because it short circuit my brain.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I'll walk through it again, as you are probably right, and I can find the mistake.

1800g is the estimate weight of 450~~g~~ml silver powder.

The total weight is 1464g.

There is 250ml (g) of water at the top of the container, which we subtract from the total weight, leaving 1214g of a silver/water slurry.

1800g should be the weight

1214g is the weight.

(Here is the mistake) The weight difference is 516g, which is the weight of the missing silver in the slurry, not the weight of the water in the slurry.

So, I would need to convert 516g to an approximate volume of silver powder. Since we have volume, we can now compute the weight of the water in the slurry.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

Ok I think I see what you're doing, but it's still wrong tho. Going, kind of, that way would be:

volume of water = total_volume (silver_mass - slurry_mass) / (silver_mass - water_mass); where silver mass and water mass are the masses of the total volume if it were only that substance alone, ie (volume * density).

With this method you can use the volume of a block of silver instead of powder, which would be more exact as there's air within powdered silver–you can add a bit of water to powdered silver before the volume start to rise–, and also the total volume and mass of the content of the beaker without taking out the water on top.

Sorry if it's not very clear, I'm finishing my lunch break, I can explain/elaborate when I get home.

Btw I've checked my math: 844.4 g silver + 619.6 g water = 1464 g total; 844.4 g silver/ 10.5 gr/cm3 = 80.4 ml silver; 80.4 ml silver + 619.6 ml water = 700 ml total.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

0.01 g. That's just beach sand.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago

No more than 1.4 kgs!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Fuck it, 1 kg exactly. I will accept the silver as my reward.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Damn, you were faster than me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

Space Noodle may not have fired first, but were more accurate.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

30g, not educated. Just a guess.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Under cutting, fucker! You're not allowed at Price is Right game night..../jk

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

It's okay, you're both off by at least an order of magnitude anyways. :)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

Danm it, you beat me..

[–] smuuthbrane 6 points 5 days ago

1026g. Based on the amount of visible water volume, and a guess of more above that subtracted from the total weight.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago

1102g - took a stab at the density of micron-sized silver powder, the volume, then arbitrarily knocked off 30% for the saturation in water 🤷

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

What's the context of this photo? I.e. what were you making/processing?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

I'm chemically refining some 90% silver coins I had into pure silver. I first dissolved them in nitric acid, then added copper to selectively precipitate the silver.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

~~How much? Weight or volume?~~

I assume you mean weight.. Give me a sec and I'll take a guess.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Yeah I meant mass, but that's a fair question. I updated the title.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Nah, it was kind of a dumb question actually. The volume isn't going to change much unless you melt it down. Thanks though!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

I love that so many people know how to do this.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Similar method to previous poster but I'm guessing 979g.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Is that elemental silver or some fancy compound?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

Elemental, my dear Watson

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

980g, no calculations, just riding off the coattails of people who did more work than me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

I'm gonna bid $1, Bob.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago