Silver Award Goes To . . .

[tanarill]

So, do you guys remember that one time I gold plated my magnetic stir bar? Today, I managed to duplicate the feat . . . in silver. So obviously the next thing to do is do it again in bronze, and then I can have a full set.

Actually, it wasn't just the stir-bar. Today I was doing silver staining, which is what you do when you have so little protein that the standard blue dye won't work. The thing is, at the end you have a solution full of silver and a slow-release reducing agent. This causes the silver to plate itself out on basically anything involved, and it will continue to do so for a couple of days. So in addition to a silver-plated magnetic stir-bar, I have a silver-plated glass stirring rod, a silver-plated protein staining bath, and a silver-plated erlynmeyer flask. The glass ones are particularly interesting, because glass + silver coating = mirror. I can see my reflection in them.

I will try deplating everything on Friday. It will involve strong acid. I can't do it now because strong acid + organic solvent (like is in the staining solution) = explosion. I have to wait until all the silver exits solution, pour off the solution, and then try with the strong acid. Wish me luck :D

Comments

[everbright]

SO did it work out? (I could have sworn I'd commented before...)