separating Ni from Cd

[YT2095]

sorry to have to ask this, If I had more time, I`de find out for myself!

 

has anyone ever taken apparts a Ni-Cad battery before? there`s a metalic Mesh (magnetic) with plenty equaly spaced holes in it, with a cake of a brittle shiney black material coating it, that will easily crumble and fall away when the mesh is flattened.

 

which part is the Nickel, I don`t want the cadmiuim, just the largest portion of the Nickel.

 

the brittle stuff is magnetic too, so magnetic detection is out the window.

 

 

the last time I tried this was a year or so ago, and I did get my green nickel sulphate, but for the life of me I can`t rem how

 

any help guys?

 

 

edit: btw, if you`ve never done this before or can only give a method to find out, please don`t repond to this, I can do all that myself IF I HAD THE TIME, I need someone that knows / remembers!

[jdurg]

I would think that you could dissolve the metal into an acidic solution, the neutralize the pH. If you slowly add sodium carbonate to the resulting solution, CdCO3 will ppt out first since its solubility is MUCH lower than NiCO3. (Ksp NiCO3 = 6.6x10^-9 while that of CdCO3 is 5.2x10^-12). So you should easily be able to slowly add the carbonate to a neutral solution and watch the cadmium ppt out, then when you add one more little crystal and nothing ppts out, the solution should then be full of the nickel ion. Would this be doable for you?

 

Oops. I just now read that you don't want any suggestions. Sorry.

[YT2095]

CD will displace the Ni anyway, I just don`t want to wash the lot and dissolve it ALL in sulphuric to get a product.

[jdurg]

That's true. But since both the nickel and cadmium carbonates are insoluble, I don't see how the Cd could displace the Ni since the Cd would be 'trapped' into a ppt. Also, if you just add the Na2CO3 into the acidic solution, it will also neutralize the solution. I'm just trying to understand what it is that you want. Do you want the nickel salt, or the pure nickel metal?

[YT2095]

Nickel Sulphate.