Author Topic: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)  (Read 6671 times)

Offline kephra

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Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« on: August 15, 2011, 09:22:38 PM »
I read an article in a science newsletter about making colloidal gold with cinnamon as a green alternative to using dangerous chemicals.  Well, the people on this forum already know how to make colloidal gold without dangerous chemicals, but I thought I would try it out.

The article said that the phytochemicals would bond with the gold nanoparticles and had anti-cancer properties.

I took about 1/4 teaspoon of real cinnamon (not the kind in the grocery store) and boiled it in 60ml of water for 10 minutes to extract whatever agents were in it.  I filtered it to take out the insoluble part.

Next, I mixed 1.25ml gold chloride in 250ml of water and heated it to boiling.

Then I added the cinnamon juice drop by drop to the gold chloride solution.  It soon started to turn pinkish.  After it started to turn color, I just reheated it and left it set until cool.

The resultant was indeed nano gold particles, but instead of ruby red, the color was purple. 

The article talked about cinnamon, but the product sold in the US as cinnamon is actually cassia.  Real cinnamon comes from Sri Lanka, and has a different flavor than the grocery store cinnamon.  Anyway, when someone says cinnamon in the context of chemistry, we don't know which they used.
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pawelk

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Re: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2011, 07:12:54 AM »
Interesting...Cinnamon is known as one of the healthiest spices. Isn't purple colloidal gold like greenish colloidal silver - smallest particle size?

Offline kephra

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Re: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2011, 12:10:40 PM »
No, red is the smallest.

Here is a photo comparing sizes I clipped from a commercial research site.

The sample I made was closest to the middle sample.


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Offline kephra

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Re: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« Reply #3 on: August 17, 2011, 11:36:57 PM »
I tried this again, with a small change.  I added the gold chloride to the water, and enough sodium carbonate to raise the pH 8.  Then I heated the solution to boiling and again added the cinnamon solution drop by drop.  I added a total of 30 drops of the cinnamon.  The solution turned pinkish, more like salmon color. 

To see if there was any unreduced gold, I added 2 drops of invert sugar, and no color changed resulted. 

This procedure was repeated again with the same result. 

The solution is tasteless.  I wish there was some way to measure the particle size, but I have none.  There is a Tyndall effect visible.

What did I make?  Unknown at this point.
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INOCENTFOREVER

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Re: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2011, 03:40:15 AM »
Kephra the same happened to me, i also raised the ph with 30 mg of baking soda and the colloid turned orange-pink!?  would you think this is a smaller particle?  because my orange pinkish colloid has been perfectly stable ?

I suspect this could be a smaller particle!   my many attemps with diferent distilled waters have shown  that more alcaline  water works better!   

 when I have added some baking soda i never had purple or blue colloid instead perfect red or slightly red orange -pink!

  What do you think about this?

Offline kephra

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Re: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2011, 08:03:46 PM »
Kephra the same happened to me, i also raised the ph with 30 mg of baking soda and the colloid turned orange-pink!?  would you think this is a smaller particle?  because my orange pinkish colloid has been perfectly stable ?
Yes, I think it is a smaller particle size.  Baking soda is more of a pH buffer than an alkali.  Above pH 7.2 it works as an acid because of the H+ ion.  Thats why washing soda is better for adjusting pH.

Quote
I suspect this could be a smaller particle!   my many attemps with diferent distilled waters have shown  that more alcaline  water works better!   

 when I have added some baking soda i never had purple or blue colloid instead perfect red or slightly red orange -pink!

  What do you think about this?
The organic reducing agents like glucose, fructose, and probably sodium citrate need an alkaline environment to work.  So I would say that higher pH should make the reducing agents work better.
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INOCENTFOREVER

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Re: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2011, 03:51:30 AM »
No, red is the smallest.

Here is a photo comparing sizes I clipped from a commercial research site.

The sample I made was closest to the middle sample.

  Kephra i think the link is broken!

Offline kephra

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Re: Attempt at Colloidal Gold using Cassia (Cinnamon)
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2011, 12:39:17 PM »
Quote
  Kephra i think the link is broken!

Fixed!
There is the unknown and the unknowable.  It's a wise man who knows the difference.