Question

A man went door to door posing as a goldsmith. He promised to bring back the
glitter of old and dull gold ornaments. An unsuspecting lady gave a set of gold
bangles to him which he dipped m a particular solution. The bangles sparkled
like new but their weight was reduced drastically. The lady was unwet but after a
futile argument the man beat a lasty retreat. Can you play the detective to find
out the nature of the solution he had used?​

Answer 1

Explanation:

The solution he had used was Aqua regia. Aqua regia is Latin word which means ‘Royal Water’. It is the mixture of concentrated Hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid in the ratio of 3:1. It is capable of dissolving metals like Gold and Platinum. Since the outer layer of the gold bangles is dissolved in aqua regia so their weight was reduced drastically.

Answer 2

Answer:

BTS

He must have dipped the gold metal in the solution of aqua regia − a 3:1 mixture of conc. HCl and conc. HNO3. Aqua regia is a fuming, highly corrosive liquid. It dissolves gold in it. After dipping the gold ornaments in aqua regia, the outer layer of gold gets dissolved and the inner shiny layer appears. That is why the weight of gold ornament reduced.