Making gold chloride solution

[Petzval Paul]

I need to mix up some gold chloride to tone some salt prints. My supplier sells the solid stuff by the gram. How do I mix up a 1% solution? Obviously, I need 100 mls of water, but how do I get it to dissolve? Do I need to heat the water or include any other additives? Thanks!

[John Jarosz]

from DPUG (http://www.dpug.org/forums/f29/gold-toning-van-dyke-2461/)

Also google gold toning solution

[Robert Hall]

Gold Chloride is gold attatched to a salt molecule. It disolves quite well by itself.

To make toner, I simply use sodium thiocyanate and about 10cc/L.

Is it a formula you are looking for?

[Peter Yeti]

Ouch! Salt ain't a molecule but an ionic crystal and gold ain't attached to it. And now I apologize because I certainly don't want to be rude and don't mean it this way. Unfortunately, I'm a chemistry professor and that hurt.

Anyway, gold toner is made of gold(III)chloride and usually combined with a thiocyanate (of sodium, potassium or ammonium). If the concentration in your formula is given in % it means % by weight. E.g. 1% means 10g/l. Gold(III)chloride is very hygroscopic and thus dissolves very well in water, especially because the concentration is very low. However, it may be helpful to increase the temperature to dissolve the thiocyanate. Be careful with the stock solution because it is sensitive to light.

Good luck,

Peter

[IanG]

The Gold chloride is disolved in thiocyanate.

Over the years I've produced many tonnes of Gold Chloride :D Then precipitated it back out of solution as fine gold :D At one point 7-10 kg per day . . . . . . . .

Ian

[Robert Hall]

Ouch! Salt ain't a molecule but an ionic crystal and gold ain't attached to it. And now I apologize because I certainly don't want to be rude and don't mean it this way. Unfortunately, I'm a chemistry professor and that hurt.



Peter


Never thought rude and thank you for the correction. I'm far more concerned with how it looks than how it works. :)

[Peter Yeti]

Thanks for your understanding and I totally agree. As a photographer I only care for what I see on the final print, too.

[Petzval Paul]

Awesome info! Thank you all so much!