Aqua regia

Aqua regia (/ˈreɪɡiə, ˈriːdʒiə/; from Latin, lit. "regal water" or

"king's water") is a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, Aqua regia[note 1]
optimally in a molar ratio of 1:3.[note 2] Aqua regia is a yellow-orange
(sometimes red) fuming liquid, so named by alchemists because it can
dissolve the noble metals, gold and platinum, though not all metals.

Contents
Manufacture and decomposition
Applications Names
Chemistry IUPAC name
Dissolving gold nitric acid hydrochloride
Dissolving platinum
Other names
Precipitating dissolved platinum
Aqua regis
Reaction with tin
Nitrohydrochloric acid
Reaction with other substances
Royal water
History
Identifiers
See also
CAS Number 8007-56-5 (http://w
Notes
ww.commonchemist
References
ry.org/ChemicalDet
External links ail.aspx?ref=8007-5
6-5)
3D model
Manufacture and decomposition (JSmol)
Interactive image (h
ttps://chemapps.stol
Upon mixing of concentrated hydrochloric acid and concentrated af.edu/jmol/jmol.ph
nitric acid, chemical reactions occur. These reactions result in the p?model=%5BN%2
volatile products nitrosyl chloride and chlorine gas: B%5D%28%3DO%2
9%28O%29%5BO-
HNO3 (aq) + 3 HCl (aq) → NOCl (g) + Cl2 (g) + 2 H2O (l) %5D.Cl)

as evidenced by the fuming nature and characteristic yellow color of PubChem 90477010 (https://p
aqua regia. As the volatile products escape from solution, the aqua CID
ubchem.ncbi.nlm.ni
regia loses its potency. Nitrosyl chloride can further decompose into h.gov/compound/90
nitric oxide and chlorine: 477010)
2 NOCl (g) → 2 NO (g) + Cl2 (g) UNII X3TT5X989E (http
s://fdasis.nlm.nih.go
This dissociation is equilibrium-limited. Therefore, in addition to v/srs/srsdirect.jsp?r
nitrosyl chloride and chlorine, the fumes over aqua regia contain nitric
egno=X3TT5X989
oxide. Because nitric oxide reacts readily with atmospheric oxygen,
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the gases produced also contain nitrogen dioxide, NO2 :
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Aqua regia is primarily used to produce chloroauric acid, the SMILES
electrolyte in the Wohlwill process for refining the highest quality [N+](=O)(O)[O-].Cl
(99.999%) gold.
Properties
Aqua regia is also used in etching and in specific analytic procedures. Chemical HNO3+3 HCl
It is also used in some laboratories to clean glassware of organic formula
compounds and metal particles. This method is preferred among most Appearance Red, yellow or gold
over the more traditional chromic acid bath for cleaning NMR tubes, fuming liquid
because no traces of paramagnetic chromium can remain to spoil
spectra.[1] While chromic acid baths are discouraged because of the Density 1.01–1.21 g/cm3
high toxicity of chromium and the potential for explosions, aqua regia Melting point −42 °C (−44 °F;
is itself very corrosive and has been implicated in several explosions 231 K)
due to mishandling.[2]
Boiling point 108 °C (226 °F;
Due to the reaction between its components resulting in its 381 K)
decomposition, aqua regia quickly loses its effectiveness (yet remains Solubility in Miscible
a strong acid), so its components are usually only mixed immediately water
before use. Vapor 21 mbar
pressure
While local regulations may vary, aqua regia may be disposed of by
careful neutralization, before being poured down the sink. If there is Hazards
contamination by dissolved metals, the neutralized solution should be NFPA 704
collected for disposal.[3][4] (fire diamond) 0
3 0
OX
Chemistry
Except where otherwise noted, data
are given for materials in their
Dissolving gold standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F],
100 kPa).
Aqua regia dissolves gold, though neither constituent acid will do so Infobox references
alone, because, in combination, each acid performs a different task.
Nitric acid is a powerful oxidizer, which will actually dissolve a
virtually undetectable amount of gold, forming gold ions (Au3+). The
hydrochloric acid provides a ready supply of chloride ions (Cl−),
which react with the gold ions to produce tetrachloroaurate(III)
anions, also in solution. The reaction with hydrochloric acid is an
equilibrium reaction that favors formation of chloroaurate anions
(AuCl4 −). This results in a removal of gold ions from solution and
allows further oxidation of gold to take place. The gold dissolves to
become chloroauric acid. In addition, gold may be dissolved by the
chlorine present in aqua regia. Appropriate equations are: Freshly prepared aqua regia to
remove metal salt deposits
− +
Au + 3 HNO3 + 4 HCl [AuCl4] + 3 [NO2] + [H3O] +
2 H2O

or
 − +
Au + HNO3 + 4 HCl [AuCl4] + [NO] + [H3O] + H2O.

If the aqua regia solution only contains gold, solid tetrachloroauric acid may
be prepared by boiling off excess aqua regia, and removing residual nitric acid
by repeatedly heating with hydrochloric acid. That step reduces nitric acid
(see decomposition of aqua regia). If elemental gold is desired, it may be
selectively reduced with sulfur dioxide, hydrazine, oxalic acid, etc.[5] The
equation for the reduction of gold by sulfur dioxide is:
+
2 AuCl−4 (aq) + 3 SO2(g) + 6 H2O (l) → 2 Au (s) + 12 H (aq) + 3
−
SO2−
4 (aq) + 8 Cl (aq).

Freshly prepared aqua regia

Dissolving platinum is colorless, but it turns
orange within seconds.
Similar equations can be written for platinum. As with gold, the oxidation Here, fresh aqua regia has
reaction can be written with either nitric oxide or nitrogen dioxide as the been added to these NMR
nitrogen oxide product: tubes to remove all traces of
organic material.
Pt (s) + 4 NO−3 (aq) + 8 H+ (aq) → Pt4+ (aq) + 4 NO2 (g) + 4 H2O (l)

3Pt (s) + 4 NO−3 (aq) + 16 H+ (aq) → 3Pt4+ (aq) + 4 NO (g) +

8 H2O (l).

The oxidized platinum ion then reacts with chloride ions resulting in
the chloroplatinate ion:

Pt4+ (aq) + 6 Cl− (aq) → PtCl2−

6 (aq).

Experimental evidence reveals that the reaction of platinum with aqua

regia is considerably more complex. The initial reactions produce a
mixture of chloroplatinous acid (H2 PtCl4 ) and nitrosoplatinic chloride
((NO)2 PtCl4 ). The nitrosoplatinic chloride is a solid product. If full Pure gold precipitate produced by the
dissolution of the platinum is desired, repeated extractions of the aqua regia chemical refining process
residual solids with concentrated hydrochloric acid must be
performed:

2Pt (s) + 2HNO3 (aq) + 8 HCl (aq) → (NO)2PtCl4 (s) + H2PtCl4 (aq) + 4 H2O (l)

and

(NO)2PtCl4 (s) + 2 HCl (aq) ⇌ H2PtCl4 (aq) + 2 NOCl (g).

The chloroplatinous acid can be oxidized to chloroplatinic acid by saturating the solution with chlorine while
heating:

H2PtCl4 (aq) + Cl2 (g) → H2PtCl6 (aq).

Dissolving platinum solids in aqua regia was the mode of discovery for the most dense metals, iridium and
osmium, both of which are found in platinum ore and will not be dissolved by the acid, instead collecting on
the base of the vessel.
 A platinum Soviet 4 days later.
commemorative coin
being dissolved in
aqua regia.

Precipitating dissolved platinum

As a practical matter, when platinum group metals are purified through dissolution in aqua regia, gold
(commonly associated with PGMs) is precipitated by treatment with iron(II) chloride. Platinum in the filtrate,
as hexachloroplatinate(IV), is converted to ammonium hexachloroplatinate by the addition of ammonium
chloride. This ammonium salt is extremely insoluble, and it can be filtered off. Ignition (strong heating)
converts it to platinum metal:[6]

3 (NH4)2PtCl6 → 3 Pt + 2 N2 + 2 NH4Cl + 16 HCl

Unprecipitated hexachloroplatinate(IV) is reduced with elemental zinc, and a similar method is suitable for
small scale recovery of platinum from laboratory residues.[7]

Reaction with tin

Aqua regia reacts with tin to form tin(IV) chloride, containing tin in its highest oxidation state:

4 HCl + 2 HNO3 + Sn → SnCl4 + NO2 + NO + 3 H2O

Reaction with other substances

It can react with iron pyrite to form nitric oxide:

FeS2 + 5 HNO3 + 3 HCl → FeCl3 + 2 H2SO4 + 5 NO + 2 H2O

History
Aqua regia was first mentioned in the works of Islamic alchemists such as Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi
(854-925),[8] and then later mentioned in a work of Pseudo-Geber (ca. 1300).[9] The third of Basil Valentine's
keys (ca. 1600) shows a dragon in the foreground and a fox eating a rooster in the background. The rooster
symbolizes gold (from its association with sunrise and the sun's association with gold), and the fox represents
aqua regia. The repetitive dissolving, heating, and redissolving (the rooster eating the fox eating the rooster)
leads to the buildup of chlorine gas in the flask. The gold then
crystallizes in the form of gold(III) chloride, whose red crystals were
known as dragon's blood. The reaction was not reported again in the
chemical literature until 1890.[9]

Antoine Lavoisier called aqua regia nitro-muriatic acid in 1789.[10]

When Germany invaded Denmark in World War II, Hungarian

chemist George de Hevesy dissolved the gold Nobel Prizes of
German physicists Max von Laue (1914) and James Franck (1925) in
aqua regia to prevent the Nazis from confiscating them. The German The fox in Basil Valentine's Third
government had prohibited Germans from accepting or keeping any Key represents aqua regia,
Nobel Prize after jailed peace activist Carl von Ossietzky had received Musaeum Hermeticum, 1678
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1935. De Hevesy placed the resulting
solution on a shelf in his laboratory at the Niels Bohr Institute. It was
subsequently ignored by the Nazis who thought the jar—one of perhaps hundreds on the shelving—contained
common chemicals. After the war, de Hevesy returned to find the solution undisturbed and precipitated the
gold out of the acid. The gold was returned to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel
Foundation. They re-cast the medals and again presented them to Laue and Franck.[11][12]

See also
Nitric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Piranha solution is sometimes also used to clean glassware.

Notes
1. The information in the infobox is specific to a molar ratio of 1:3 between nitric acid and
hydrochloric acid.
2. The relative concentrations of the two acids in water differ; values could be 65% w/v for nitric
acid and 35% w/v for hydrochloric acid – that is, the actual HNO3:HCl mass ratio is less than
1:2,

References
1. Hoffman, R. (10 March 2005) How to make an NMR sample (http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/nmr/prepar
ation/preparation.html), Hebrew University. Accessed 31 October 2006.
2. American Industrial Hygiene Association, Laboratory Safety Incidents: Explosions (https://web.
archive.org/web/20110718093018/http://www.aiha.org/insideaiha/volunteergroups/labHandSc
ommittee/Pages/IncidentsExplosions.aspx). Accessed 8 September 2010.
3. Committee on Prudent Practices for Handling, Storage, and Disposal of Chemicals in
Laboratories, National Research Council (1995). Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling
and Disposal of Chemicals (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=4911) (free fulltext).
National Academies Press. pp. 160–161.
4. "Aqua Regia" (http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/labsafetymanual/cheminfo/aquaregia.htm).
Laboratory Safety Manual. Princeton University.
5. Renner, Hermann; Schlamp, Günther; Hollmann, Dieter; Lüschow, Hans Martin; Tews, Peter;
Rothaut, Josef; Dermann, Klaus; Knödler, Alfons; et al. "Gold, Gold Alloys, and Gold
Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH.
doi:10.1002/14356007.a12_499 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2F14356007.a12_499).
 6. Hunt, L. B.; Lever, F. M. (1969). "Platinum Metals: A Survey of Productive Resources to
industrial Uses" (http://www.platinummetalsreview.com/pdf/pmr-v13-i4-126-138.pdf) (PDF).
Platinum Metals Review. 13 (4): 126–138.
7. Kauffman, George B.; Teter, Larry A.; Rhoda, Richard N. (1963). Recovery of Platinum from
Laboratory Residues. Inorg. Synth. Inorganic Syntheses. 7. p. 232.
doi:10.1002/9780470132388.ch61 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2F9780470132388.ch61).
ISBN 9780470132388.
8. Ahmad Y. Al-Hassan, Cultural contacts in building a universal civilisation: Islamic contributions,
published by O.I.C. Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture in 2005 (https://books.
google.com/books?id=3iQXAQAAIAAJ) and available online at History of Science and
Technology in Islam (http://www.history-science-technology.com/articles/articles%2072.html)
9. Principe, Lawrence M. (2012). The secrets of alchemy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
ISBN 978-0226682952.
10. Lavoisier, Antoine (1790). Elements of Chemistry, in a New Systematic Order, Containing All
the Modern Discoveries (https://archive.org/details/elementschemist00kerrgoog). Edinburgh:
William Creech. p. 116. ISBN 978-0486646244..
11. "Adventures in radioisotope research" (https://archive.org/stream/adventuresinradi01heve#pag
e/27/mode/1up/search/medals), George Hevesy
12. Birgitta Lemmel (2006). "The Nobel Prize Medals and the Medal for the Prize in Economics" (ht
tp://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/about/medals/). The Nobel Foundation.

External links
Chemistry Comes Alive! Aqua Regia (http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/CCA3/MAI
N/AQREGIA/PAGE1.HTM)
Aqua Regia (http://www.periodicvideos.com/videos/mv_aqua_regia.htm) at The Periodic Table
of Videos (University of Nottingham)
Demonstration of Gold Coin Dissolving in Acid (Aqua Regia) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XoqU1GfIOkI)

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