Which of the following acids is used in the purification of gold and silver?

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2020 Tier-I Official Paper 12 (Held On : 18 Aug 2021 Shift 3)
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  1. Acetic acid
  2. Nitric acid
  3. Maleic acid
  4. Formic acid

Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 2 : Nitric acid
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PYST 1: SSC CGL - General Awareness (Held On : 20 April 2022 Shift 2)
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Detailed Solution

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The correct answer is Nitric acid.

  • Nitric acid is used in the purification of gold and silver.

Key Points

  • Nitric acid is used in the purification of gold. The acid mixture aqua regia, or royal water, dissolves gold and is used to purify scrap alloy containing gold.
    • Aqua regia is a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid in a 3:1 ratio.
    • Nitric acid is a nitrogen oxoacid of formula HNO3 in which the nitrogen atom is bonded to a hydroxy group and by equivalent bonds to the remaining two oxygen atoms.

Important Points

Acid Name Details
Acetic acid
  • Acetic acid, systematically named ethanoic acid, is an acidic, colorless liquid and an organic compound.
  • Formula: CH3COOH
Maleic acid
  • Maleic acid or cis-butanediol acid is an organic compound that is a dicarboxylic acid, a molecule with two carboxyl groups.
  • Formula: C4H4O4
Formic acid
  • Formic acid is the simplest carboxylic acid, containing a single carbon.
  • Occurs naturally in various sources including the venom of bee and ant stings, and is a useful organic synthetic reagent.
  • Formula: CH2O2

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