# CPU gold recovery for the first time failed.



## dutch_gold (Jan 16, 2012)

Hi,
I tried to recovery gold from 20 cpu for the first time but I failed when it came to precipitating the gold out of the AR solution.
But I do not know what I did wrong. I have taken the following steps

1. I separated the Gold Plated Pins from 20 CPU,s body using a torch.
2. Weighted the pins ( 16 grams).
3. Separated the gold and the base metals, by letting the pins gently boil for 3 hours in 100 ml 53% nitric acid (HNO3).
4.The gold foils where floating on the suffers now, so I filtered the solution by pouring of the nitric acid through a piece of cotton.
5. The cotton had collected the gold foils, so I let it dry for the night.
6. I collected the gold foils in a flask.
7. I made an AR solution by adding 10 ml of 53% HNO3 to 40 ml 30% HCL.
8. Then I added the AR solution to gold foils.
9. All the gold foils were dissolved in the AR solution leaving a yellow solution. ( I was planning on not to dissolve all of the gold, so that I did not have to you urea.)
10. I filtered the solution through a piece of cotton to take out any organic material.
11. I made a urea solution of urea fertilizer that contains 46% urea by dissolving it in 100 ml distilled water.
12. I poured 20 ml urea solution in the AR but there was no reaction but after a while there where small crystals in the AR. And he remaining urea solution there where big crystals.
13. I thought this was no good, so I filtered the AR solution through a piece of cotton to get the small crystals out.
14 Then i added Sodium Metabisulfite (SMB) but there was no reaction :?: :?: 

I was hoping on a similar reaction as in this youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRfpNnu9W-U&feature=BFa&list=ULZPz_Evg_Kf8&lf=mfu_in_order
but there was none. Can somebody help my figure out what I did wrong. I would be grateful

Sorry for my pour english


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## Anonymous (Jan 16, 2012)

I can only speculate since I did not see exactly what happened,but,it is possible that your powder did precipitate and is sitting on the bottom of your vessel.The gold content from 16 grams of cpu pins may be extremely low,depending on what kind of cpus they were.
Can you tell us exactly what kind of cpus they were,so that we can help you further?Also in the future,if crystals form,add a little water.If they are sodium crystals they will simply dissolve back into the solution.


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## dutch_gold (Jan 16, 2012)

I used 20 Intel pentium4, 1.8 ghz and 1.4 ghz cpu`s mostly from 2001 and 2002 . See link for some images. http://techreport.com/articles.x/3525


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## Anonymous (Jan 16, 2012)

dutch_gold said:


> I used 20 Intel pentium4,


The yield on these pins are almost extremely low.I would estimate less than .1 gram total.


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## samuel-a (Jan 17, 2012)

Hello dutch_gold

I'm afraid you are mixing apples and oranges here.

First thing first, you have used way too much nitric acid, a one or two drops of nitric acid added to hot HCl solution would have dissolved all of the gold (assuming you eliminated base metals effectively).
As a result, you wouldn't have to use any urea.

Mic is spot on with the yields.

The solution in my video was about 22-23 grams of Au per liter.
As i understand it, your solution was/is about 1-1.5 grams Au per liter.

The visual effect is very different. In very dilute solutions, it takes time for the gold precipitate to coagulate (assuming it does actually precipitate, meaning, no excess oxidizer) in to a visible form.
Adding to this confusion, a dirty solution is usually colored a one, the solution will turn silghtly darker, sometimes unnoticeable.

By letting the solution to stand for full 24 h, a very thin layer of gold powder will be visible at the bottom.
then siphon the bulk of the solution, test with SnCl2 and discard if barren.

Agglomerate the powder by gently tilting and tapping the beaker.
Then start you washings.


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## dutch_gold (Jan 17, 2012)

Thank you samuel-a and mic for your answers and support.

After waiting 24 hour there is actualy a very thin layer of gold powder visible at the bottom.
It is not much obviously because of the low yield.

I guess I have to look for cpu`s with a better yield. Is there a list availbe that show me the yield I can expect from certain cpu`s ? 
I already found this site http://www.scribd.com/doc/28911037/Gold-Content-List-in-CPU-Chips and this one http://www.thriftybits.com/.

I already have a cpu Pentium 80502 ceramic. You can not separated the Gold Plated Pins using a torch, so should I put the entire cpu in nitric acid to disolve the base metals?


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## kuma (Jan 17, 2012)

Hi Dutch , how are tricks?
I hope your well!



dutch_gold said:


> Is there a list availbe that show me the yield I can accept from certain cpu`s ?



I believe that many of us have come seeking this list , and as far as I can tell it doesn't , at least in any accurate form , exist.  



dutch_gold said:


> I already found this site http://www.scribd.com/doc/28911037/Gold-Content-List-in-CPU-Chips .....



A fair few of us ( myself included ) have come across that list , and I'm sure that most of us had thought that we had found , to quote another member from a previous thread on the subject , " the holy grail " , but unfortunatly it is said to be inaccurate through over exaggeration of the yield data provided , again , cry!  
I'll go out on a limb here and say I guess that unless you had say a half a pound ( at least ) of every different type of cpu to test , or could apply some seriously accurate testing proceedures on a *per piece* basis , anything anywhere near resembling that list is probably a fair way off.
The other thing to consider is that even cpu's of the same mfg and type could have differing yields due to things like changes in the mfg process' and even fluctuations in the price of raw materials.
All the best with it chief , and kind regards for now ,
Chris


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## steyr223 (Jan 17, 2012)

Hello I'm new to this
So don't quote me

Maybe I read wrong but what did
You do with cpu's after removing
Pins
I believe you crack them once to expose insides
but then I previously read a post where they incinerated them 

16 CPU is close to a pound
30-100 dollars at salvage
thanks steyr223


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## dutch_gold (Jan 17, 2012)

I have not done anything with the cpu`s after removing the pins. I assume there is no value in them and that you only want the gold plated pins.
Can you post a link to the post where you read it otherwise? I am also curious how you come up with the salvage values? They do not look correct.


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## jimdoc (Jan 17, 2012)

P-4 processors are very different than the older ceramic processors. Buyers pay about 25¢ for them, and it has been discussed that there is not much more than that in gold value. I just sell the ones I get.

Jim


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## steyr223 (Jan 17, 2012)

Wow
My Guy gives anywhere from
$30 .00 for I thought the cheapest cpu's to around $60.00
For I think the copper backed and upwards of $100+ for Pentium pro's
I will go out on a limb here
Silicone salvage Buena park or Anaheim ca.
remember these guys get ya coming and going
Steyr223 
Sorry all money above is per pound


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## Anonymous (Jan 17, 2012)

jimdoc said:


> P-4 processors are very different than the older ceramic processors. Buyers pay about 25¢ for them,


That is almost exactly what I get ($11 per pound)


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## steyr223 (Jan 17, 2012)

I could be very wrong due to the fact I've never actually wieghed to see but 44 cpu's
make up pound your kidding right :roll: .25 * 44 = 11.00

Steyr223


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## Anonymous (Jan 17, 2012)

To be honest I do not know.All I remember is,Some time back,I broke down the per-pound price,to a per-piece price,and It was really close to $.25 each.Give me a few minutes and I will tell you.


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## Anonymous (Jan 17, 2012)

Ok,wrong cpu. I was referring to the P4 laptop(without the heat spreader).They are just under $.25 a piece(appr. 90 per pound).The desktop P4's with the heat spreaders would work out to be $.50 each(appr. 22 per pound).


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## steyr223 (Jan 18, 2012)

As usual every thing seems
Heavyer as you get older
I thought for some reason they
Were approximately 1 oz each
22 wow
Thanks for the info steyr223
PS. Who on this form would be
The ablest(time,desire, and,knowhow) to do the 1/2 lb CPU test
If we could get members to send 1 or 2 cpu's each. I got like 10 +
Any takers to go down In history as the list maker


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