# dropping gold as a metal



## azdave35 (Dec 1, 2009)

i would like to know if there is any way to drop gold from a aqua regia solution as a metal instead of a brown precip..i saw one of steve's videos on cementing silver with copper..the silver drops as a fine metal.silver..is there any way to do that with gold?..thanks in advance


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## nickvc (Dec 1, 2009)

The brown precipitant in your container is metal ,if you compress it it will start to resemble what you regard as metal ,the reason its melted is to do just that join the powder together into a form everyone recognises as gold.


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## butcher (Dec 1, 2009)

This is from my notes I have made, and I don't know original source, and I have never tried it, so I cannot verify it.

C12H26O3 Butyldiglyme, or Di Butyl Carbitol, an organic solvent that combines with AuricChloride (AuCl3), and is insoluble in H2O, seperates from water solution as an upper phase layer. After washing with dilute HCl Gold is dropped as flakes using Oxalic Acid (wood bleach), can be used on Aqua Regia solution without neutralizing excess Nitric.

there are numerous discussions about this and some on the forum with expierience using BDG or DBC and Oxalic acid method.


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## azdave35 (Dec 1, 2009)

i have been thinking about trying di butyl carbitol but havent found much info on the process ..if anyone here could steer me in the right direction i'd appreciate it..thanks in advance


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## 67eod (Dec 1, 2009)

Hi,

I have been using BD for over nine months. Give me a call and I will explain 501 941-1426


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## 67eod (Dec 4, 2009)

Hi,
Maybe this will help for those interested in using butyl diethylene. I have been using BD for the last 9 months. First let me state that it does not always produce gold as flakes or grains. Some of the gold drops as a brown sponge with a mix of flakes and grains, 

I start with the poor mans AR or HCL and Clorox; I will list the steps and amounts for CPUs with lids.
32 oz of CPUs with the metal lids broke loose.
8 oz of sodium nitrate.
16 oz of distilled water.
32 oz of HCL.
I put the CPUs and the lids in the AR and leave for 12 hours.
Filter the solution until clear and then dilute 4 to 1 with distilled water.
I use 1000 ml flasks to hold the 4 to one mixture of BD and diluted AR. I shake it well several times over a couple of hour then poor it into 1000ml separator funnels and let it set several hour so all the BD moves to the top of the Funnel. I repeat this process until the BD is a dark amber color. I have found that BD will hold its own weight is AU.

The next step is to wash the BD with a 4 to 1 mixture of HCL and distilled water. When I have 2000ml of BD washed I place it in a 4000ml beaker and bring it to a boil. At the same time I add 3 oz of oxalic acid to 1000ml of distilled water and bring it to a boil.
I then pour the oxalic acid mix into the beaker with the BD. The gold starts to drop and, I stir the mixture until the BD is almost colorless then remove from the heat.
I pour off the BD and strain the gold out using a coffee filter. I then wash the gold while it is still in the filter with hot HCL and then distilled water. There is always a little BD in the filter which I place in a melting dish. I have been selling my gold to Midwest and they refine it again and assay it. I have been getting between 98.5 and 99.9 on my buttons. I have found that some gold is trapped in the ox colic acid solution so I use SMB to drop it out. The BD is ready to use again and you loose very little in the process. The only difference when using HCL and Clorox it is diluted half and half.

My biggest expense is neutralizing the spent AR solution. I buy the rest of the stuff in bulk from wine and soap making suppliers.

If you decide to use this process be sure you are wearing a good respirator, eye protection and gloves even if you are doing it outside, this is bad stuff.

Bob Noble


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## butcher (Dec 4, 2009)

thanks Bob


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## Rhodium (Dec 5, 2009)

Gold can be effectively loaded into DBC up to 190 g/L Au .
The chemistry of gold extraction :arrow: http://books.google.com/books?id=OuoV-o_Xf-EC&pg=PA356&lpg=PA356&dq=Butyl+Diethylene+gold+refining&source=bl&ots=Aq4C0qyrs9&sig=5PJtW5Rab1L5uUY4deFi7cxKfnk&hl=en&ei=Wv0ZS4WOFo2YtgeAkKzrAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Butyl%20Diethylene%20gold%20refining&f=false


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## drifter_046 (Dec 8, 2009)

azdave35 said:


> i would like to know if there is any way to drop gold from a aqua regia solution as a metal instead of a brown precip..i saw one of steve's videos on cementing silver with copper..the silver drops as a fine metal.silver..is there any way to do that with gold?..thanks in advance



Yep, see here... http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=5903


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## SilverNitrate (Dec 8, 2009)

Gold wouldn't drop out as crystal gold (gold metallic flake or powder) unless you're making a very small amount quickly or making a large quantity (ounce or more) with very long laspe time. 
I used to use acyl-chloride gold solution (no NOx) and a mixture of formaldehyde and HOOH added slowly as a catalyst. This is kept at room temperature and in 24hrs you'll have a noticeable amount of gold flakes. (the fumes forms HCL on H2O incl eye tears and sweat) 
Dangerous reaction but produce pretty gold. also only half the gold ever drops completely.
To get the rest out add in nitrite and the gold will drop out a fine orange micro powder.


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## wade brenckle (Jul 29, 2012)

A simple Q please. I realize I cant get an exact number, but a ball park one please. I just finished drying out what I pray to be 26 grams of gold powder. Out of that how big of a button could I get? How pure is the powder? I do not know. From a sodium nitrite drop. I evaped, then in water a few days then added the nitrite. I know that the AR had a lot of copper in it. Next time I'll try to remove most base metal. Just haveng trouble figuring out what process to use. Next Q, can I go straight to the next refining process without melting? My mud was a pale brown, almost a (beige?) color. Spelling off? After drying it got darker, much. I cant make stannus cant afford the tin powder yet. Do not want to use solder, want to bee %100. Will get some from Lazer Steve next week. I have some that was in water a few days, no settlement (oxides I guess I was expecting). But upon adding the nitrite, I got a half inch white powdery looking mud that I was expecting after adding the water to my syrup. It put up a small amount of fumes, and has been sitting for a week now. And it will till I can figure my next step.


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## Geo (Jul 29, 2012)

you could have refined it again without drying it. if you have a doubt about how pure it is, refine it again as it is now and follow with the proper washes and rinses as described by Harold.


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## philddreamer (Jul 29, 2012)

> Out of that, how big of a button could I get?



Wade, I melted a 31 g button last week; so your 26g button would be just a bit smaller than the one on the pic.

Take care!
Phil


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## NobleMetalWorks (Jul 29, 2012)

Has anyone used Hydroquinone to selectively precipitate gold out of a solution that also has PGMs?

Scott


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## wade brenckle (Jul 29, 2012)

Now I'm as nervous as a long tail cat in a rocking chair factory show room!!! If I have that in hand, I have 10 more ready to drop, and 20 more ready to work out. Maby I can save this house just on time. You guys are the greatest! No BS.


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## wade brenckle (Jul 30, 2012)

took my 26 gms brown powder to the gold buyer. he tried to melt it, it shrank to 9 gms, turned black, and with a xray gun showed no gold. but a small % of pd. cant wait till i can make some stanous to test the sample i retained. unless i can send the sample to someone. any takers? i was working with ar, this is from old mixes i had from a few old swings at this.


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## MysticColby (Jul 31, 2012)

Did you not dry it before weighing it to be 26 g?
Other reasons for weight loss might include tin and maybe zinc contamination, which boil below the melting point of gold. Not good for your health to breath. carbon / ash? iuno, sounds dirty.
I'm assuming you mean XRF and not X-ray
I'm not sure how XRF guns work - do they only tell you about the surface? might be safest to file down a bit then test it.


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## Palladium (Jul 31, 2012)

MysticColby said:


> I'm not sure how XRF guns work - do they only tell you about the surface?



http://www.scribd.com/doc/18664388/-Refining-xrf-Testing1


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## BJL1984 (Nov 6, 2012)

Just take about an inch or two of lead free solider tin/antimony and disolve in a bit of HCL there is your stannous chloride for testing, when done i like to leave a bit of solider in te stannous as a little insurance that it stays fresh


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