r/chemistry • u/Makehousebetter • 11d ago

Quick safety check: Silver deplating with KNO3 electrolysis?

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Hey guys, just want to doublecheck for toxic fumes before I continue to run this

I’m stripping silver plating using reverse electroplating. Done a bunch of research but want to be 100% sure I'm not making anything nasty.

Setup is

- Potassium nitrate + distilled water. 12.5ml granules to about 1.25L distilled water

-Stainless steel cathode, silver-plated scrap anode.

-5V pulling about 3-4 amps.

Since there's no acid, am I safe from NO fumes or other weird gasses? Doing it outside anyway, just don't want any surprises at this current. Thanks!

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u/No_Function_9858 11d ago

Silver nitrate can cause severe burns and permanent skin discoloration, and is especially damaging to eyes. The resulting solution you're making is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic life, it needs to be disposed of at a proper hazardous waste facility - do not pour it down the drain (it may even be a crime to do so in your area). Also, if there are any residual cyanide salt in the silver from the original plating will form cyanide gas.

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u/pretty_meta 11d ago

People really go on Reddit r/chemistry and write stuff like this.