Gold drop failed???

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JBo

Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2018
Messages
19
Hi everyone

So I had some gold foils. I added HCl to the foils until it covered the top of he foils. Then added bleach in small increments until the foils dissolved...all merry and good.

Then I added SMB to the solution to drop the gold. Nothing happening. I kept adding more and more SMB and I'm pretty sure I've added way to much. But when I test the solution with stannous chloride, the solution still turns a very dark brown ( almost black). But there is still no gold dropping. Not sure what's going on. Could someone help me?
 
FrugalRefiner said:
JBo said:
So I had some gold foils.
How much is "some gold foils"? How much gold are you expecting?

Dave


Im not sure. But when the foils where in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, the foils covered the entire bottom and went up about 3 cm.
 
JBo said:
FrugalRefiner said:
JBo said:
So I had some gold foils.
How much is "some gold foils"? How much gold are you expecting?

Dave


Im not sure. But when the foils where in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, the foils covered the entire bottom and went up about 3 cm.

I put in around 10 plastic spoons full of SMB which I know is way too much.
 
Here's a pic chute of the solution. It's kind of a pee color like when someone is really dehydrated.
 

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How much bleach did you add and how long did you wait before you added the SMB? Free chlorine will stop SMB from dropping gold as the gold redissolves as fast as it precipitates. Length of time between the dissolution and precipitation could mean you didn't allow the chlorine to "gas off" before trying to precipitate.
 
Geo said:
How much bleach did you add and how long did you wait before you added the SMB? Free chlorine will stop SMB from dropping gold as the gold redissolves as fast as it precipitates. Length of time between the dissolution and precipitation could mean you didn't allow the chlorine to "gas off" before trying to precipitate.

I added six eye droppers full of bleach. I'd say about 10 mL of bleach.

I didn't wait before adding the SMB. I added it right after I dissolved he foils.
 
JBo,

Using too much SMB can give you a “false” positive of gold. It will appear brown instead of purple & complicate your refining immensely, for the unknown is entering into the oblivion.

Don’t add anything more to your solution. Read up on the properties of SMB & anything else you added & how those chemicals impact each other.

Your gold is not lost until you lose it.

This is the point where you can strive ahead & refine or just quit. It takes patience, learning & the undying soul of the gold digger.

Most important it takes flexibility of knowledge. What are you willing to learn against what you think you know?

Shed what you know & start from point “A”. If you don’t know it yet, “bucket it up” for another day.

Rachel
 
Wait a day and then test again. By then, the free chlorine should be gone. If you still get a positive, try the drop again. Also, check to see if there is any kind of precipitate. If there is, you may need to filter the solution before trying to drop again.
 
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