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Silver dendrites from a single metal displacement reaction

     In the early days of mining, silver was leached from the raw ore with acid and extracted from the mother liquor by a single displacement reaction using a cheap base metal. The series below shows the silver dendrites formed in progressively less concentrated silver nitrate solutions using aluminum wire mesh as the displacing metal structure. There is a point between tubes 2 and 1 where the solution is so concentrated that a dense and lumpy deposit forms free of dendrites.

Front view of tubes

Side view of tubes

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