AP question about gold in my copper crystals

[JoshRecycles]

Hi, I searched the forums but really didn't find the answer I was after. I used AP on my foils, I think I used to much peroxide as the about 1/4 of my gold foils dissolved into little micro flakes. I did filter as much as I could and left the rest to settle. I didn't really see much flake in the solution so I decided to get my copper out using a stainless steel knife (cheap knife) and it worked I think. It all crystallized on my knife. I did this several times and sprayed the crystals off with distilled water,I got a huge amount of copper, but noticed A LARGE AMOUNT of tiny speckles shimmering back at me in my dried copper powder! YIKES! I want all my gold!!! This only could be seen under a magnifying glass, it appears gold managed to suck itself into my copper crystals! All the copper is still in powder form, what can I do to retrieve it? Is it possible to just melt it and use electrolysis to remove the gold? I am looking for the best solution as the gold is in micro grain in my copper powder and I have about 2lbs of it. filtering would not be an option as it is way too small. Or should I redissolve in AP and just let the gold settle?
I tested the solution as well there is still gold present, if I am not mistaken, reading through earlier forums pages it says to let the silver/black powder settle to the bottom and pour off after a few days to retrieve. Is this correct? or can I add some SMB after I let it sit for a few days to drop any excess that may still be in the solution.
thanks for any help, this is my first time posting, and first attempt at recovering 3 months worth of dissolving boxes of e-scrap I accumulated over the years. ALL FREE! I forgot to mention I did get the majority of my foils, after reading and realizing I used to much peroxide. :lol:

 

[lazersteve]

Copper in sponge form will dissolve in HCl with a little heat, the gold should be left behind.

Steve

 

[JoshRecycles]

Thanks, I will give it a try.

 

[Harold_V]

The next time you think you've dissolved some of the gold, the first thing you should do is test with stannous chloride to insure that you know what's going on. If you find the solution tests positive, all you need do is introduce some free copper, which will cement the gold. The process you used puts you back where you started, with your gold mixed with an abundance of base metal. It works, but you could have avoided a large amount of trouble. Remember---your objective is to separate the values from the base metals.

Harold

 

[JoshRecycles]

I will try the stannous chloride after x-mas. I also plan on redissolving the copper/gold into a semi fresh batch that I already have working, so it won't be too awful of a mess I guess. My last batch has a sparkly silver/white crystals laying at the bottom of my big jar, any idea as to what metal it might be? There was no solder on the pieces I put in solution, so it can't be that. I am guessing maybe silver? I am going to dig into the forums to see what I can find. thanks for the tips, I appreciate it greatly.

 

[lazersteve]

My last batch has a sparkly silver/white crystals laying at the bottom of my big jar, any idea as to what metal it might be?

Copper I chloride, dissolves in HCl, not in water.

Here's a thread with photos of it:

Copper I Chloride Thread w/ photos

Steve

 

[JoshRecycles]

I tested with Stannous and came up neg for any dissolved gold. thats a good thing. I also tested the copper II after I redissolved in a already running batch and it did not test for gold, I guess I was seeing things. I double checked my stannous was correctly doing its part, and its fine. So I am on to the dissolving stage now. I had one question about dropping the gold, I purchased some sodium metabisulfite from ebay, its in powder/salt grain type form. Does this have to be diluted in distilled water to work? or should it work out of the bag? I seen Steve's video on dropping and he had a jar with a liquid SMB. I tried asking the seller 3 times but I get no response. Does anyone else know a good distributer for SMB and other Chemistry supplies? I get worried buying ebay stuff, for all I know they could cut it with table salt or baking soda or something to stretch the buck.
Thanks for the Copper I and Copper II explanations. I am learning and am thankful you all are willing to teach a little.

 

[jimdoc]

You can find SMB at a wine/beer making supply.
I usually just stir it in dry,you don't need to mix it in water.

Jim

 

[Barren Realms 007]

You can also find SMB at Home Depot as Bonide(sp) tree stump remover in the gardening section.

 

[JoshRecycles]

Sweet thanks guys. I will check those 2 sources the next time I run out.

 

[jimdoc]

Try the phone book,or an internet search.It may help you find it locally,and lead you right to what you are looking for instead of driving all over.That is how I found the closest wine making supply store.Also they carried small amounts that were kind of expensive,but could order 5 lb bags more reasonable.A phone call may let them order it for you so they will have it when you get there.

Jim