machiavelli976
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2010
- Messages
- 263
thanks Steve ! now i see " fulminating " is a way of saying for several unstable compounds , in english. again the barrier of language beats me !
Mintek process
- Thread starter HAuCl4
- Start date
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machiavelli976,
Thank you for replying. While I can see it as plausible that you tried this on your wedding ring in the past, your posts show enough knowledge of chemistry that you were likely aware of the hazards in using these reagents together let alone in a concentrated form 20 years after the fact. At a minimum it was reckless to propose a procedure without clearly stating you were unsure of the result.
Your unsolicited comment on picric acid the same day with the evil, mrgreen, twisted, mrgreen, emoticons also contributes. We are what we write.
Fortunately for me it is not my job to determine your intent (a chore I do not envy), it is the moderators. I wrote GSP privately because I was not sure of the byproducts of the reaction you proposed but I clearly saw the potential. I did not wish to make this a big deal on open forum but I agree with GSP's decision to make my concern public. Enough time had passed that even if he had deleted your comment too many may have already read it, so the public caution became necessary. I hope that after reading some of the follow-up comments and links you and others understand the concern.
The issue of safety on the forum is of utmost importance, then that of keeping the peace between members, it is only after that our moderators have the chance to share what they know and help clarify others ideas. All members when posting should keep in mind the first 2 items when composing a post so as to minimize the work of our moderators. We will all benefit by it.
Thank you for replying. While I can see it as plausible that you tried this on your wedding ring in the past, your posts show enough knowledge of chemistry that you were likely aware of the hazards in using these reagents together let alone in a concentrated form 20 years after the fact. At a minimum it was reckless to propose a procedure without clearly stating you were unsure of the result.
Your unsolicited comment on picric acid the same day with the evil, mrgreen, twisted, mrgreen, emoticons also contributes. We are what we write.
Fortunately for me it is not my job to determine your intent (a chore I do not envy), it is the moderators. I wrote GSP privately because I was not sure of the byproducts of the reaction you proposed but I clearly saw the potential. I did not wish to make this a big deal on open forum but I agree with GSP's decision to make my concern public. Enough time had passed that even if he had deleted your comment too many may have already read it, so the public caution became necessary. I hope that after reading some of the follow-up comments and links you and others understand the concern.
The issue of safety on the forum is of utmost importance, then that of keeping the peace between members, it is only after that our moderators have the chance to share what they know and help clarify others ideas. All members when posting should keep in mind the first 2 items when composing a post so as to minimize the work of our moderators. We will all benefit by it.
machiavelli976
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2010
- Messages
- 263
hello OZ, if you feel somehow embarrassed for your p.m. to GSP , well don't bother! you've done well as long as you are concerned about our safety. i have to admit that was a reckless thread to HAuCl4 ,but i couldn't figure the by-products might be hazardous somehow. Tollens and Schweitzer reagents that could result from carat gold ingredients are harmless in that circumstance as far as i know. my comment about picric acid and the alternate of smilies came out as a response to the funny comment of Irons. i have been blessed to see the funny face of almost everything( maybe i am retarded :| ) and i hope to act like this until i'll die. i hope my death to be the funnyest moment of my life :mrgreen:
Chuckle. No, I was not embarrassed one bit. I am not shy about speaking my mind, but I do believe in being polite and following proper etiquette. What I wrote I would have said myself on open forum had GSP not already taken the time to address an argument in the making. Since he is a moderator I felt it proper to bring my concerns to his attention privately as to not interfere with his actions on open forum or muddy the thread. Often a moderator is making decisions based on information that others may be unaware of.
In addition I was not positive of the end products of what you were suggesting, but I was positive of the implied risks. GSP knows more about refining than I ever will and since he was already responding it would have been foolish not to seek his counsel before public comment.
On a lighter note, there is nothing wrong with wishing to die with a smile on your face.
In addition I was not positive of the end products of what you were suggesting, but I was positive of the implied risks. GSP knows more about refining than I ever will and since he was already responding it would have been foolish not to seek his counsel before public comment.
On a lighter note, there is nothing wrong with wishing to die with a smile on your face.
HAuCl4
Well-known member
LOL guys. Let it go. Can we get back to refining and the Mintek process?. :shock:
HAuCl4 said:
The Mintek Minataur subject has been discussed at least once before on the forum. I have been unable to find anything concerning the solvent that is used. The most detailed info seems to be in the attachment that you originally provided. Here's another link for the same article.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:JQIyVYot5UEJ:www.saimm.co.za/Journal/v104n06p339.pdf+minotaur+gold+mintek+solvent&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShXaz9uoOzaJAcUqSI3lHiiEUBcnXUltecUxFC7r8BiIbpJ9F7e0BQoKwLPX2rRVJ440YPFX2zlxFXkiw23VaHHIHtSqAIB2nPD5g4toJMoKb83e47_Xz_Mplwtqh45sXK_TQ59&sig=AHIEtbTyY4JxgqsYNm39j9YM5rsLXTtjVQ
I did find it mentioned somewhere that it was patented but I couldn't find a US patent, at least under Mintek as the assignee. It is either under a different name or it is a foreign patent (maybe South African). I didn't take the time to wade through this list.
http://www.google.com/patents?q=solvent+extraction+electrowinning+gold&btnG=Search+Patents
Irons
Well-known member
goldsilverpro said:
Mintek is a unit of the South African Government.
This is not a process with a cookie-cutter recipe that fits all situations. These solvents are ion exchange media and act depending on pH, ionization potential,and ionic species. I've done some work with MIBK and it's much more complicated to use than BDG, as well as being extremely flammable and likely to form explosive peroxides on contact with oxidizers.
You can add BDG directly to AR or AP without much hazard and the application is well documented. Despite the odor problem with BDG and the affinity it has for Copper, it works fairly well, has a high boiling and flash point.
HAuCl4
Well-known member
Irons said:
Thanks Irons.
Playing a little of devil's advocate here, the process must have some strong advantages over Miller+Electrolysis (which was the standard many years ago), since they are using it in a very big scale in several plants around the world.
Perhaps not suited to the small shop operator, but that's what I'd like to determine. So far I'm not even sure what solvent they use!. :shock:
Since the Sx process goes back to the 70's, I'm not sure we can call it "new" either. It looks very proven by now.
Noxx
Well-known member
Irons said:
What odor problem ? I like the smell
the intent is the only question, was this to help or hurt a forum member?
this forums existance can depend on the safety of our postings and its members.
the chemistry, or even if there are etchs made from these chemicals is unimportant, as I have seen recovery methods from steps that can get close to pyro technics if steps not followed and caution not taken.
I did not see the total posting, and can make no judgement.
this forums existance can depend on the safety of our postings and its members.
the chemistry, or even if there are etchs made from these chemicals is unimportant, as I have seen recovery methods from steps that can get close to pyro technics if steps not followed and caution not taken.
I did not see the total posting, and can make no judgement.
