Colloidal Gold

[dennis]

Kephra
I am going to make colloidal gold. If it helps the misses and I, I would like to make it long term.
What would you say is the most cost efficient way to make it? 

[kephra]

The most efficient way is to buy gold chloride from Salt Lake Metals.  Cost is about $1 a dose, and requires no special equipment.  It also makes the best quality. 

Electrolysis is cheaper, but you have to have a suitable power supply, and spend more time making it. 

[dennis]

Thank You so much!

one question
Is the 1 molar sodium carbonate that is used to make colloidal gold the same stuff used to make colloidal silver?
or in other words the same mixture? I am not finding how to make 1 molar sodium carbonate.

Dennis

[kephra]

Its the same electrolyte.  12.6 grams of Arm and Hammer washing soda in enough distilled water to make 100ml.

[lr1224]

I have been making colloidal gold with the Easy Method (1% SaltLakesmetals, AuCl3, Sodium Carbonate and 50/50 Karo Syrup).  It  is easy and but I was considering making colloidal gold with the electrolysis method to see if it would lower the cost.  I have been buying 50ml of 1% which cost $60 with shipping. On Ebay,  I can get 6 inches 24 gauge 24K solid gold wire for about $45.  I do not know how much colloidal gold can be made with this.  Can the colloidal gold you get with the electrolysis  process be made in high enough concatenation to be diluted.  I would like to make enough at one time to last least one week.  Can you make AuCl3 solution at 1% like I buy at Saltlakemetals from the gold wire?  What would you do to accomplish this.  I really appreciate this forum and your information.   

[kephra]

I would advise against buying gold wire from eBay.  How do you know that it is what the vendor says it is.
Also, $45 is not a good price.  6 inches of pure gold wire 24 gauge wire is currently priced at $30 from a reputable dealer (riogrande.com).  https://www.riogrande.com/product/24K-Yellow-Gold-Round-Wire-24-Ga-14-Hard/608124

6 inches is .39 pennyweight.  A pennyweight is 1.56 grams, so the wire would be .6 grams.
If you could use all the wire (which you could not) you would get 60 doses of 10mg gold.
So the cost would be more than 50 cents a dose.

To make gold chloride, you need hydrochloric acid and fuming nitric acid.  You need to mix the two acids in the correct proportion to make Aqua Regia, then dissolve the gold in the acid.  These acids are dangerous, especially the nitric.
You would need a fume hood, or do the entire procedure entirely out of doors.

Another method is to substitute high strength hydrogen peroxide for the nitric acid.  Some people on the forum have attempted the peroxide method with varying degrees of success.

[lr1224]

It does not seem to be much difference in the cost of the electrolysis method and the 1% AuCl3 method.  The 1% AuCl3 is much simpler than the electrolysis.  I'm going to stick with the simpler method.  As for the making the AuCl3, fuming Nitric acid would be for me be hard to find.  The last time I had access to Nitric acid was when I was a chemist in a laboratory 30 years ago.   Thanks for the reply.