lye as precipatant
- Thread starter flock
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Iron, most likely. You can bring most every metal down as it's hydroxide with lye.
So, what is the point? You won't be making a separation unless you carefully adjust the ph, and even then, not good separations.
By the way, just to be technical, lye is actually potassium hydroxide.
Sodium hydroxide is usually referred to as caustic soda.
So, what is the point? You won't be making a separation unless you carefully adjust the ph, and even then, not good separations.
By the way, just to be technical, lye is actually potassium hydroxide.
Sodium hydroxide is usually referred to as caustic soda.
Rust colour is the absorbance of all wavelengths of light apart from in the red/yellow region.flock said:
If that's the wrong answer, maybe the question was far too vague, without a photo, without a description of each step of what you did, including chemicals used, starting from the ore.
Hi Flock
One question - do you actually know the compounds present in this ore before digesting in acid?
One question - do you actually know the compounds present in this ore before digesting in acid?
Nice one flock ! Good photos.
OK. So you possibly digested the ore in HCl then maybe filtered and then added sodium or potassium hydroxide ?
I'm guessing - you could just tell us the precise details, then someone might know exactly what they're looking at, then tell you exactly what it is.
My guesses :-
The brown sludge looks like some iron hydroxides.
The white stuff looks like zinc or tin hydroxides.
You can safely ignore me completely - i've never tried recovering anything heavier than calcium from rocks.
OK. So you possibly digested the ore in HCl then maybe filtered and then added sodium or potassium hydroxide ?
I'm guessing - you could just tell us the precise details, then someone might know exactly what they're looking at, then tell you exactly what it is.
My guesses :-
The brown sludge looks like some iron hydroxides.
The white stuff looks like zinc or tin hydroxides.
You can safely ignore me completely - i've never tried recovering anything heavier than calcium from rocks.
process: roasted ore, crushed ore, roasted again (heavy in pyrite), digested in HCL plus hydrogen peroxide for one batch, the other with clorox. I let it sit a couple of days, filter twice, then add a bit at a time of caustic soda, let it sit, filter and rinse 3 times.
Looks like rust to me.
Göran
Göran
Woohoo !flock said:
Wish you'd said that at the start.
So, mainly you made a lot of chlorides, then added sodium hydroxide.
The pyrites are iron compounds, so it probably went a bit green then quickly brown when you added the H2O2.
The brown sludge is most likely iron hydroxides.
The thin grey/white bit on top is where any values are, although they could be just tin or zinc.
Erm, depends on what you want.
Adding the sodium hydroxide has complicated it a lot.
If it were me (and i am NO expert at all) i'd skim off the grey/white bit and try to processs that.
Adding the sodium hydroxide has complicated it a lot.
If it were me (and i am NO expert at all) i'd skim off the grey/white bit and try to processs that.
I forgot that this is the Gold/PM refining forum ...
OK. Get all of the sludge and heat it to get it as dry as possible.
Dissolve the dry powder in HCl again. This may take a while.
Filter.
To the filtered liquid add copper metal and wait a few weeks.
Anything even slightly precious metal will eventually cement out, although it might stick to the copper.
If the photo is the total volume, you'll not need gallons of acid, nor will there be much 'cemented' powder to see, never mind recover.
OK. Get all of the sludge and heat it to get it as dry as possible.
Dissolve the dry powder in HCl again. This may take a while.
Filter.
To the filtered liquid add copper metal and wait a few weeks.
Anything even slightly precious metal will eventually cement out, although it might stick to the copper.
If the photo is the total volume, you'll not need gallons of acid, nor will there be much 'cemented' powder to see, never mind recover.
Instead of using caustic, see if anything will cement to copper.
If you can get ferrous sulphate or copperas locally you can use that to precipitate any gold.
If you cannot get it you can make it if you can get sulphuric acid by adding iron or steel to it and forming the bright green crystals which can be dissolved in hot water with a dash of HCl added to clean it up.
If you cannot get it you can make it if you can get sulphuric acid by adding iron or steel to it and forming the bright green crystals which can be dissolved in hot water with a dash of HCl added to clean it up.
