Aqua Regia and Dibutyl Ether

[Geo]

Geo how do you get that link to move (or copy and paste) and stay blue where others can click on it and it work?
I tried it to copy and paste it would not work.

right click the link and choose "copy link address" and paste where you want it.

 

[Gratilla]

so if i understand right you add bdg to a gold chloride bearing solution ,mix them together ,bdg will extract gold chloride from solution ,you than collect your bdg back to precipitate gold later...
but i dont know how bdg will react , ive been looking for a way to avoid denoxing with realy dirty solution , could bdg do it (remove gold from a not denoxed solution?

edit : i think i understand what you mean , since basicaly bdg only absorbe gold chloride , when i will remove bdg ,nitric acid will be left behind so when i will drop the gold there simply wont be any nitric involve in the dropping processus to create problem ...

You've pretty much got it. 8) Now if someone can find those detailed instructions ... Maybe they're in the GoldRefiningForum books (online @www.scribd.com).

Solvent Extraction (SX or SeX :mrgreen should be in every refiner's "bag of tricks" IMO. It's almost a silver bullet in that it can zero in on just AuCl3 (or other compounds/PGMs, depending on choice of organic solvent) pretty much irrespective of the other gunk in the aqueous mix. The moderator's instructions should let you "do it by the numbers" without needing to understand the theory. However if you want to tweak for optimum results you really need to understand details of Distribution Coefficients (solubility in organic phase divided by aqueous phase) and how these change with the Normalcy/Molarity/pH of the aqueous phase. (For strong acids like HCl 1N = 1M. ie 1 Molar, which you can calculate from atomic weights.)

I've attached an example below. Just look at Fe (a pretty common pollutant in Au solutions). This varies between just over one part per thousand (in your organic phase) at O.5 N HCl and close to 50% at 2.5 N HCl. Obviously you'd want your HCl concentration to be 0.5N or less to not have the Fe largely carried over to your organic solvent (ie BDG) during extraction.

BTW, if you want more details, look up the patent (US 5,942,024), shown on the attachment below.

 

[Geo]

im having a hard time finding a source for BDG. can anyone give me a product name or a good source please. there are so many different names for it, i can find a few with part of the total acronyms but never a whole. a close match is Diethylene Glycol. its a gel fuel.

 

[Gratilla]

Try here:

http://www.tcichemicals.com/eshop/en/us/commodity/B0828/
http://www.sciencelab.com

BTW, there are over a dozen synonyms for BDG/DBC (dunno why) and also lots of different chemicals with close/similar names.

To be on the safe side quote the (unique) CAS Code: 112-73-2.

 

[Geo]

thank you very much Gratilla.

 

[ericrm]

can someone tell me if you absolutely have to shake by hand dbg and gold bearing solution, or could you simply use a stirrer and let it stir it for a few hours and get the same result?

 

[scrappile]

Metallurgy/dibutyl carbitol




DiButyl Carbitol is a very useful extractant for gold, especially from mixed acid solutions. It goes by several names, including...

Diethylene glycol dibutyl ether
Bis(2-butoxyethyl)ether
Butyl diglyme
Dibutyl carbitol
Dibutyldiglycol = Diethyleneglycol-di-n-butyl ether
Dibutyl diglycol
2-Butoxyethyl ether
Diethylene glycol di-n-butyl ether

It can be purchased in smaller quantities from www.sciencelab.com.

Are you aware that the solvent can be re-used? It really never wears out, just wash it good with water and hydrochloric acid and you can use it many times over. It helps to be careful with your separation, to avoid losing any. I have made seven nines gold many times using DBC, precipitated with a 10% solution of oxalic acid over a 48 hour period. Good luck...


http://en.allexperts.com/q/Metallurgy-2280/dibutyl-carbitol.htm

can reuse too, .. :shock:

 

[Gratilla]

can someone tell me if you absolutely have to shake by hand dbg and gold bearing solution, or could you simply use a stirrer and let it stir it for a few hours and get the same result?

The only things you absolutely have to do (in a democracy) is:
a) Pay taxes and
b) Die (eventually)

Think about what effect you're trying to accomplish. You're trying to mass transfer the AuCl3 from the aqueous to the organic phase. In order to do this in a reasonable amount of time you need to:
a) Agitate (to distribute the AUCl3 evenly in the two phases), and
b) Maximise the surface area between the two (to minimise the time required).

With a typical stirrer you're only stirring the bottom (ie aqueous) phase, with minimal effect on the mutual surface area.

I found that my first attempts at shaking were too vigorous and I created an emulsion that took days to separate. Now I just rock my separatory funnel vigorously from side to side. <Some music with an appropriate beat helps.>

 

[Geo]

Since oxygen helps the volatile absorb the gold chloride, why not us a glass tube to bubble air through the solution. It would serve two purposes, add oxygen and agitate the two solutions together.