# My first gold powder



## MarcoP (Sep 17, 2014)

Sure it's a little but to me looks too nice to be true, I had a smile printed to my face for good ten minutes when SMB was added :lol: 
I'm trying to work with little samples to practice on using the right amount of acids.







Thank you to you all!
MarcoP


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## jason_recliner (Sep 17, 2014)

Congratulations Marco. It's a much lighter colour than my first drop, which I probably shouldn't keep too close to my coffee maker.


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## Claudie (Sep 17, 2014)

That appears to be some very clean Gold powder, well done. When are you going to post the button?


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## MarcoP (Sep 17, 2014)

Thank you jason_recliner,
it is probably lighter because it went trough a couple of boiling water and boiling HCl soaks but I'm unsure about copper contamination and when I get some more powder I will incinerate it, dilute nitric soak, AR again but ill precipitate it using oxalic acid to get the hand of it. The nice part is that after the first boiling water rinse it used to saddle very quick. Then I'll make my first standard test solution.
Patience and study start to finally paying off. For my first time was awesome to see things happening just as described.

I want to start refining again just to see the magic happening when SMB is added lol, I already have two respirators and already invited my mum and my girl to look at it, both supporting me since the beginning and from what I read I'm being lucky in this :lol:

It took a while but I have taken the time to study, set up an outside area, stannous chloride made up, proper safety gear like respirators (one is a full face), chemical resistant gloves, proper eye protection and at the very end I've got the nitric. Long way ahead to learn silver, palladium and platinum refining.

Claudie,
I have yet to learn the art and tricks of melting, then I'll buy proper tools and fluxes. Probably some borax and a small torch will do at the moment but I've learned to wait and I would like to refine it again with oxalic acid as exercise. Moreover some will be used to make a standard solution. I'm trying to do one step at the time and weeks ago I've decided that melting will have to wait as I'm concentrating on recovery and refining. I believe that after a long wait, my first button will have a higher value, paid off with proud.


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## Claudie (Sep 17, 2014)

I always have a difficult time waiting between the powder process and the melting of the button. I am afraid I will drop it or spill it or worse, someone finds it and thinks it's just dirt and throws it away. :shock:
Be careful not to blow it out of the dish when you melt it. That happens to first timers sometimes.


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## jason_recliner (Sep 17, 2014)

Claudie said:


> I am afraid I will drop it or spill it or worse, someone finds it and thinks it's just dirt and throws it away. :shock:


Or leave it outside in a jar to settle but a possum to splash 90% of it over the back deck, which is what happened to my first and biggest lot.
Everything, good or bad, teaches us something.


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## MarcoP (Sep 18, 2014)

I had the same feelings but, Claudie, I have the luck to have to own an unused attic on my building with plenty of out side area where I'm the only one having access to it and, jadon_recliner, I have the same worry about pigeons so I did hanged few CDs to keep'em away and its somewhat working. Hopefully nothing of the above will ever happen...


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## MarcoP (Sep 26, 2014)

The above gold powder was split into about three parts, more or less.

The first part was digested into AR and precipitated with Oxalic acid where NaOH was used to adjust the PH between 5 and 6, as far I understand it should be kept slightly acidic, so keep it on the 5 side.
Lucky me prior processing it I added about 0.3ml of H2SO4 and some PbCl deposited at the bottom. Next time, in the first refining, I'll have to add little more sulfuric especially when coming from a dirty material source.

0.15gr of good looking gold powder.





The second part will be digested into HCl/NaClO and precipitated with FeSO4.
The third, will be digested into AR and precipitated again with FeSO4.

Just for pure academic purposes, see it with my own eyes, and found out which works best for me, convenience and personal likings. At the end I'll finally make AuCl standard solution for testing.

Edit: FeSO2 changed to FeSO4


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## butcher (Sep 26, 2014)

I think you mean to say FeSO4 ferrous sulfate, also called copperas, or Iron II sulfate.


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## Harold_V (Sep 27, 2014)

MarcoP said:


> Thank you jason_recliner,
> it is probably lighter because it went trough a couple of boiling water and boiling HCl soaks but I'm unsure about copper contamination and when I get some more powder I will incinerate it, dilute nitric soak, AR again but ill precipitate it using oxalic acid to get the hand of it. The nice part is that after the first boiling water rinse it used to saddle very quick. Then I'll make my first standard test solution.
> Patience and study start to finally paying off. For my first time was awesome to see things happening just as described.
> 
> ...



It would serve the new guys well to read this and take what it says to heart. 

You, sir, are doing things the way they should be done. Jumping in water that has not been tested is not in anyone's best interest. In your case, you have taken proper steps to prepare yourself and have been rewarded with success. 

* I salute you.* 

Harold


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## MarcoP (Sep 27, 2014)

Butcher, yes, I meant FeSO4 and edited accordingly. Those kind of mistakes should not be done  Thank you!

Harold, your words are a reward to me. From you all I'm not only learning how to recover and refine but also all risks that includes. We normally learn from our mistakes, but what a great chance to learn from others' mistakes along very knowledged people teachings! As I've understood from Hoke and experiences described in forums, safety and acquaintance were two important steps to be learned immediately. Values can wait, their not going anywhere. Actually more I learn and less risks of injure myself and less losses I will get.

All, thanks to you all.


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