Cyanide leach

[kjavanb123]

All,

I just recieved a reciepy for using sodium cyanide to leach gold from gold plated items,

Leachant solution: sodium cyanide 1 part : water 99 parts
Temprature: room temprature
Air pump: aquirem pump would do

Hope that helps, gonna try this on a small batch of slot pins and post pictures.

Thanks
Kevin

 

[squarecoinman]

All,

I just recieved a reciepy for using sodium cyanide to leach gold from gold plated items,

Leachant solution: sodium cyanide 1 part : water 99 parts
Temprature: room temprature
Air pump: aquirem pump would do

Hope that helps, gonna try this on a small batch of slot pins and post pictures.

Thanks
Kevin

Hi Kevin , maybe you know but others may not so here is some safety data



APPEARANCE: White crystalline or granular powder.
DESCRIPTION: Sodium cyanide releases hydrogen cyanide gas, a highly toxic chemical asphyxiant that interferes with the body's ability to use oxygen. Exposure to sodium cyanide can be rapidly fatal. It has whole-body (systemic) effects, particularly affecting those organ systems most sensitive to low oxygen levels: the central nervous system (brain), the cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels), and the pulmonary system (lungs). Sodium cyanide is used commercially for fumigation, electroplating, extracting gold and silver from ores, and chemical manufacturing. Hydrogen cyanide gas released by sodium cyanide has a distinctive bitter almond odor (others describe a musty "old sneakers smell"), but a large proportion of people cannot detect it; the odor does not provide adequate warning of hazardous concentrations. Sodium cyanide is odorless when dry. Sodium cyanide is shipped as pellets or briquettes. It absorbs water from air (is hygroscopic or deliquescent).
METHODS OF DISSEMINATION:
Indoor Air: Sodium cyanide can be released into indoor air as fine droplets, liquid spray (aerosol), or fine particles.
Water: Sodium cyanide can be used to contaminate water.
Food: Sodium cyanide can be used to contaminate food.
Outdoor Air: Sodium cyanide can be released into outdoor air as fine droplets, liquid spray (aerosol), or fine particles.
Agricultural: If sodium cyanide is released as fine droplets, liquid spray (aerosol), or fine particles, it has the potential to contaminate agricultural products.
ROUTES OF EXPOSURE: Sodium cyanide can affect the body through ingestion, inhalation, skin contact, or eye contact.

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Personal Protective Equipment

GENERAL INFORMATION: First Responders should use a NIOSH-certified Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) with a Level A protective suit when entering an area with an unknown contaminant or when entering an area where the concentration of the contaminant is unknown. Level A protection should be used until monitoring results confirm the contaminant and the concentration of the contaminant.
NOTE: Safe use of protective clothing and equipment requires specific skills developed through training and experience.
LEVEL A: (RED ZONE): Select when the greatest level of skin, respiratory, and eye protection is required. This is the maximum protection for workers in danger of exposure to unknown chemical hazards or levels above the IDLH or greater than the AEGL-2.
A NIOSH-certified CBRN full-face-piece SCBA operated in a pressure-demand mode or a pressure-demand supplied air hose respirator with an auxiliary escape bottle.
A Totally-Encapsulating Chemical Protective (TECP) suit that provides protection against CBRN agents.
Chemical-resistant gloves (outer).
Chemical-resistant gloves (inner).
Chemical-resistant boots with a steel toe and shank.
Coveralls, long underwear, and a hard hat worn under the TECP suit are optional items.
LEVEL B: (RED ZONE): Select when the highest level of respiratory protection is necessary but a lesser level of skin protection is required. This is the minimum protection for workers in danger of exposure to unknown chemical hazards or levels above the IDLH or greater than AEGL-2. It differs from Level A in that it incorporates a non-encapsulating, splash-protective, chemical-resistant splash suit that provides Level A protection against liquids but is not airtight.
A NIOSH-certified CBRN full-face-piece SCBA operated in a pressure-demand mode or a pressure-demand supplied air hose respirator with an auxiliary escape bottle.
A hooded chemical-resistant suit that provides protection against CBRN agents.
Chemical-resistant gloves (outer).
Chemical-resistant gloves (inner).
Chemical-resistant boots with a steel toe and shank.
Coveralls, long underwear, a hard hat worn under the chemical-resistant suit, and chemical-resistant disposable boot-covers worn over the chemical-resistant suit are optional items.


scm

 

[jeneje]

All,

I just recieved a reciepy for using sodium cyanide to leach gold from gold plated items,

Leachant solution: sodium cyanide 1 part : water 99 parts
Temprature: room temprature
Air pump: aquirem pump would do

Hope that helps, gonna try this on a small batch of slot pins and post pictures.

Thanks
Kevin

Kevin, please research what you are getting ready to do. HCN will KILL YOU! it takes more knowledge then you think to use. A chemical background and proper equipment is needed.

Be careful with this process.

Ken

 

[4metals]

Small doses of peroxide to act as the oxidizer are often more effective than an air pump. Still cyanide is nasty stuff. Be careful!

 

[skippy]

I thought using cyanide on plated base metals was trickier than your 'recipe' suggests, if selectivity is to be achieved. The words 'Recipe' and 'cyanide' don't belong in the same sentence and gives a bad impression of your attitude towards it, and its too dangerous to be anything less than totally professional about.

 

[lazersteve]

One safety aspect of working with cyanide that is easily overlooked is the possibility of equipment that has been used for acid work, then used with the cyanide job creating hydrogen cyanide by accident. If any gloves, container, hose, filter, etc., etc., have previously been used for acid work are to be used for cyanide work, they must be properly neutralized first.

Here's a short write up on the subject and a good cyanide discussion:

Cyanide Safety

Steve

 

[Gratilla]

I just recieved a reciepy for using sodium cyanide to leach gold from gold plated items,

Leachant solution: sodium cyanide 1 part : water 99 parts
Temprature: room temprature
Air pump: aquirem pump would do

Hope that helps, gonna try this on a small batch of slot pins and post pictures.

Kevin,

If this recipe is the only thing you have to work with, I'd STRONGLY recommend you don't even consider it.

A vital prerequisite to putting sodium cyanide into water is to make sure that the water is strongly alkaline ... at least pH 10. Many waters (ie tap water, rain water, etc) are acidic and this is just asking for trouble as toxic hydrogen cyanide gas will be released.

Gratilla

 

[kjavanb123]

Thanks all for your comments, specially Steve for providing that informative links about cyanide leach, I got that formula from a professional refiner regarding the ratio of water to cyanide and temperature and all, since I couldn't find that info off the site, I thought it might be useful. Safety is always first, before any processing.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[kjavanb123]

Just curios if one wants to proceed with cyanide stripping, would it be possible to do PCI or memory slots as they are without the plastic cover removed? Or should one remove the plastic covering?

Regards
Kevin