There is so much information to take in, I am very confused and would be very grateful for any help. The summaries I wrote below are actually all questions. If you can Please tell me what Is correct what is way off and what I have missed and totally and omitted.
I know there are many more methods that I I left out and that there are different chemicals that can be used, But are these the most common? Are they the most efficient? When would you use each one? And why do you use different methods for different things?
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, and you may be responsible for saving a life.
Nitric acid- used to dissolve base metals that are attached to gold but does not dissolve gold, thereby separating the gold while leaving is solid and intact. Hot nitric acid dissolves base metals more readily than cold nitric acid (common for most chemicals??) the gold is then washed and processed. Used primarily for what?? Gold karat scrap??
Acid peroxide (AP) - Mixture of Hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Used to dissolve base metals (mostly copper?). Gold remains as a solid and is then collected. Slow acting, used primarily for gold finger scrap?
Aqua regia (AR) – Mix of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. Dissolves gold and base metals alike creating chloroauric acid which is then heated and transformed into auric acid. sodium metabisulfite is then added to precipitate gold from auric acid solution. Used primarily to process gold into high quality/purity, also used as a last resort for difficult recovery and used for ceramic chips?
Reverse electroplating – electric current is run through cold plated scrap to remove plating. Copper wire mesh holds gold plated scrap in sulfuric acid bath (primarily pins separated from all metal and plastic) current is then run through mesh into pins and then across sulfuric acid into anode on the other side of the bath. The current cause the nickel underneath the gold plating to plate the anode, dropping the gold plating as flakes into acid bath?
Inquarting- Used for high karat scrap. Purity of the gold is reduced to 25% or less by alloying with base metal (primarily silver because it dissolves more readily in nitric acid) alloy is then bathed in nitric acid dissolving base metal, leaving gold as solid?
Incinerating – literally burning off materials to isolate PM. Used on filters and lint and other flammable contaminants. Also used as an added step in some of the processes above?
I know there are many more methods that I I left out and that there are different chemicals that can be used, But are these the most common? Are they the most efficient? When would you use each one? And why do you use different methods for different things?
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, and you may be responsible for saving a life.
Nitric acid- used to dissolve base metals that are attached to gold but does not dissolve gold, thereby separating the gold while leaving is solid and intact. Hot nitric acid dissolves base metals more readily than cold nitric acid (common for most chemicals??) the gold is then washed and processed. Used primarily for what?? Gold karat scrap??
Acid peroxide (AP) - Mixture of Hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Used to dissolve base metals (mostly copper?). Gold remains as a solid and is then collected. Slow acting, used primarily for gold finger scrap?
Aqua regia (AR) – Mix of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. Dissolves gold and base metals alike creating chloroauric acid which is then heated and transformed into auric acid. sodium metabisulfite is then added to precipitate gold from auric acid solution. Used primarily to process gold into high quality/purity, also used as a last resort for difficult recovery and used for ceramic chips?
Reverse electroplating – electric current is run through cold plated scrap to remove plating. Copper wire mesh holds gold plated scrap in sulfuric acid bath (primarily pins separated from all metal and plastic) current is then run through mesh into pins and then across sulfuric acid into anode on the other side of the bath. The current cause the nickel underneath the gold plating to plate the anode, dropping the gold plating as flakes into acid bath?
Inquarting- Used for high karat scrap. Purity of the gold is reduced to 25% or less by alloying with base metal (primarily silver because it dissolves more readily in nitric acid) alloy is then bathed in nitric acid dissolving base metal, leaving gold as solid?
Incinerating – literally burning off materials to isolate PM. Used on filters and lint and other flammable contaminants. Also used as an added step in some of the processes above?