# Gold extraction using Mercury



## ozyredeye (Mar 9, 2012)

Hi All

I have had a good look through the forum and it looks like that there is plenty of info yet when anyone had asked how to do it , the result was always the same read Hoke's book and you'll be the wiser !!!

Well I have given it a go and the book somewhat covers every metal in detail , make you mix , let it settle and go from there etc etc etc 

The question I Have is this 
Once the reaction has completed and the gold is now suspended in the AR fluid instead of using Sodium Metabisulfite could you use Mercury to draw the gold out from the fluid ?

Cheers


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## publius (Mar 9, 2012)

The quick answer is maybe... But others on the forum will tell you that working with mercury is more dangerous than the red death from nitrogen dioxide. It gets into your body (and into the environment) where it slowly kills you unless you accidentally turn it into its fulminate form. in that form it will just explode, maybe killing you,

In other words, not a good idea.


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## jack_burton (Mar 9, 2012)

Old timers (and even some poeple still do) use mercury to bond with trace gold material, most of the gold you can't even see with the naked eye. For example, flour gold from panning.

Which, sounds completely different from what you are describing. I don't think dropping mercury in AR will have the desired effect you are looking for- SMB will be safer and less expensive anyways.

Edit: Grammar


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## Geo (Mar 9, 2012)

adding mercury to any acid is asking for trouble. no one on the forum should advise you to add mercury to acid. it servers no purpose. it was common practice a long time ago to add gold impregnated mercury to nitric acid to digest the mercury and recover the gold. and alot of them died doing it.

bad idea, leave it alone.if you want to cement your gold from solution i would recommend using copper.


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## ozyredeye (Mar 9, 2012)

It was only a thought as I have about 14kg of it , your right be alot saver using Sodium Metabisulfite

Cheers Marty


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## butcher (Mar 9, 2012)

ozyredeye,

The reason no one will give a simple answer to your question of how to do all of this, is because there is no simple answer, but reading Hoke's book and the other information provided on the forum is the best way for you to get that answer, the more you study this subject the more you will begin to see how complicated that recovery and refining can be, keep studying it will begin to start to come together, this is a whole field of science, and all of it could not be written in one book, aqua regia alone could take library's.

We could write out a one page step by step process for you to follow, but until you understood more, you would most likely fail in the process, as you would not understand the principles, and many variables we did not write down.

Have you read dealing with waste, and know how to deal with the dangerous toxic waste?

Have you studied the chemicals and toxic gases, and how to protect yourself and others from these?

A few grams of gold will not pay for all of the damage that can be done if you do not study.

This is not something you learn to do overnight; it takes much hard work and study.

Follow the advice your given here by the guy’s on the forum, they are giving you the best way to learn what you are asking, by telling you to study and read Hoke’s book.

Now can someone here on the forum make a post for me, to tell me all of the secrets to recover and refine the platinum group metals, and all of the chemistry involved, I would like to learn this before Monday morning, I have been reading about it for four years, and I still do not know all that much about it, please make the instructions simple, as I get lost in those big words easily.


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## Geo (Mar 10, 2012)

butcher said:


> Now can someone here on the forum make a post for me, to tell me all of the secrets to recover and refine the platinum group metals, and all of the chemistry involved, I would like to learn this before Monday morning, I have been reading about it for four years, and I still do not know all that much about it, please make the instructions simple, as I get lost in those big words easily.



sure, let me limber up.

aww,shucks.im all out of Bengay,someone else will have to do it. :lol: :lol:


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## Harold_V (Mar 10, 2012)

ozyredeye said:


> Hi All
> 
> I have had a good look through the forum and it looks like that there is plenty of info yet when anyone had asked how to do it , the result was always the same read Hoke's book and you'll be the wiser !!!
> 
> ...


redeye--(the one with the bad attitude)
You, sir, are on a destructive course.  I am now advising you to stop what you're doing and read Hoke's book. The questions you are asking are displaying your complete lack of understanding. None of us are wiling to try to help you when you insist on not helping yourself. Please do not post any more questions until you have read Hoke's book. 
Lose the idea of using mercury---full stop! 

Harold


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