Refining GOLD...

[Geowizard]

Smelting is one form of refining;

Every GOLD ore is different and the chemistry used in smelting is different...

Simple refining can be done with a melting dish and BORAX.

https://www.mgsrefining.com/blog/2013/0 ... efine-Gold

- Geowizard

[Lanny]

Yes, and every time I've been present while bars are being poured, borax, etc., was added before the melt, so that does make the gold in the bars smelted then in some form, is that what you're explaining?

All the best,

Lanny

[Geowizard]

Purification of GOLD;

Raw GOLD is a mix of impurities. Placer GOLD invariably has two forms of impurities. One is the external "heavies" that are difficult to separate during panning and the second are impurities alloyed into the GOLD.

When a pure "flux" such as Borax is melted with an impure form of raw GOLD, the impurities are scrubbed from the GOLD into the Borax. That can be seen in the color of the Borax after it is broken from the GOLD after the melt.

It isn't a perfect "parting" of impurities...

There are impurities that remain in the GOLD after melting with Borax. Copper, Silver and Platinum prefer to bond in an alloy with the GOLD.

Commercial smelters produce "anodes". The anodes are poured out of the furnace into molds that are shaped for later electro-refining. The metal content is a mix of copper, silver and GOLD.

The ASARCO smelter, here in Arizona ships anodes to a refining facility in Amarillo, Texas.

Electro-refining;

"Anodes" are placed in a large tank containing a solution of sulfuric acid with a second electrode called a "cathode". The cathode is a pure copper "starter" sheet. When a DC voltage is applied (-) to the cathode, pure copper is deposited on the cathode. Hundreds of anodes and cathodes are at work at the same time plating copper across to the cathodes. Silver and GOLD drop out as a mud or "slime" at the bottom of the plating tank. The byproduct GOLD and silver is melted and refined in further steps of electro-refining.

On a small scale, Placer GOLD can be purified using methods described by "SREETIPS" on YouTube. He demonstrates how to refine placer GOLD using actual examples of placer GOLD from Alaska.

- Geowizard

[Lanny]

Yes, and thanks for the detailed explanation, while observing this many times in the gold-fields, as the gold bars are poured with the borax, etc. at the mine they are then always sent to a smelter for the refining of the gold to get it to .999 fineness or in exceptional cases, .9999, but the latter purity is an exceptionally high standard for premium purposes only.

After the initial borax, etc., pour, the doré bars head to the refinery at around 92%, and the copper, silver, platinum do indeed stay in the bars. However, I've also seen it when some of the bars are poured, there's like a layer of copper colour on the top of the bar after the waste is knocked off, almost like the copper pooled there, but I've only seen that a couple of times.

Any quartz in the nuggets, ironstone, etc. gets "smelted" out to rise to the top of the mould, where it pools in that black, brittle layer, which is then knocked off, after the bar has been cooled of course.

Thanks for your feedback, and all the best,

Lanny

[Geowizard]

Bleach and Hydrochloric;

Here's a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mCFCmwLEWY

Enjoy!

= Geowizard

[Joe S (AK)]

After learning that Chlorine Gas dissolves Gold I realized that an over abundance of raw organic fertilizer was in evidence.

I went no further because I know better.

[Geowizard]

Chloriders;

Early GOLD recovery methods used SALT (Sodium Chloride). Spanish explorers recovered fine GOLD from milled GOLD ore using the "Patio process". Salt was milled with GOLD ore in an arrastra and placed on a tile floor to dry and crystallize. The crystals (GOLD chloride) were recovered and fired in a furnace. The chloride burned off as chlorine gas. The GOLD was poured into ingots.

Gold miners often used Salt to recover GOLD. Hydrochloric acid is commonly available as muriatic acid.

Here's another video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onT6u0xjIe4

This is a common process, well known in the science of chemistry.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

The Miller process;

Without attempting to re-write this reference, I will provide a link to it;

https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/go ... on-process

Organic Fertilizer? You decide...

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

The GOLD Refining Forum;

A Good reference is the GOLD Refining Forum; https://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/vi ... hp?t=17522

Check it out!

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

GOLD bonding with Chlorine;

Here's a link to the chemical bonding illustrated;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold(III)_chloride

- Geowizard