Thiosulphate Question

[Wyndham]

I was looking at the use of Thiosulphate for the extraction of gold. As a potter I use small amounts of sodium carbonate(soda ash, trona) in some of my glazes as an active flux. My question deals with the making of Thiosulphate. Is it made by the introduction of soda ash and sulfuric acid? Would the resulting salt be Thiosulphate, the formular leads meto this question.

Disclaimer: this is for info only, I know it's safer,cheaper and far less stupid to buy pool supply declor(Thiosulphate) than to risk an unknown reaction. Just trying to learn a little chemistry.

Wyndham

 

[Dr. Poe]

Forgive me if I'm wrong. It's been fifteen years since I made thiosulfate. I believe the key ingredients were yellow sodium polysulfide and sodium sulfate. Yellow sodium polysulfide is made by dissolving flowers of sulfur into NaOH.
Ammonium thiosulfate works better but needs copper to catalize the reaction to dissolve gold. It should be noted that gold sulfides will dissolve into polysulfides anyway. Also small amounts will dissolve into just plain NaOH.

 

[Wyndham]

Thanks , that helps. Wyndham

 

[Lino1406]

1. Cooking together with agitation sulphur and sodium sulphite, in ceramic
coated iron.
2. Bubbling SO2 into a dilute solution of sodium carbonate:sodium sulfide 1:2

 

[gurudatta]

can anyone explain detailed procedure of gold leacjinf by thiosulphate.

 

[Lino1406]

Very much the same as cyanidation process:
The oxygen is oxidizing the gold
to gold ions (dissolved gold). Then the thiosulphate
ions combine with the gold ions, forming
gold thiosulphate. Combined result of both
stages is energetically favorable

Lino1406
Author of "gold enigma 1, 2 or3. A look
inside the electronic shell of noble metals"

 

[butcher]

Lino1406, I looked up the book (pamphlets) you mentioned, and seen the price was reasonable.

http://www.goldnscrap.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81&Itemid=43

Can you give me an Idea what the book includes (is it about the thiosulfate leaching process? or chemical reactions of gold, or a discussion of gold atom? would I understand what I was reading and would I benefit from the Knowledge)?

Basically I guess I am asking what will I learn, and without you being a sales man can you sell me into buying the book?

Is this the best place to get your book?

 

[Lino1406]

Dear Butcher,
The 24 pp. e-booklet was advertised 2 months
ago under "Refiners, Buyers, Assayers, etc." of
this forum. Sorry, it does contain facts mostly
apart from chemical reactions (electronic
and nucleic facts about 9 noble metals + copper +
rhenium). However, it may give better understanding
of how some metal will behave as it does. Physical,
as well as chemical backgrounds are useful.

 

[butcher]

Thanks, Lino,
For responding back, I must have missed that before in the "Refiners, Buyers, Assayers, etc." section of the forum.

At the advertised price it sounds like well spent money to get an education.
I could always learn more about these metals, and will put this on my list of things to order.