What can you dissolve gold in?

Step-by-step instructions for refining gold at home and in the laboratory

Gold refining is the process of purifying yellow precious metal from various impurities, as a result of which it is assumed that it is possible to obtain pure precious metal. Gold refining can be carried out at home and in the laboratory. The specifics and features of this process depend on the methods and location of its implementation. We invite you to familiarize yourself with alternative methods of refining gold at home and in the laboratory.

Methods

Refined gold

Refined (pure) gold can be obtained by electrolytic or chemical methods. In jewelry production, as a rule, a chemical refining method is used due to the fact that the feasibility of using the electrolytic method manifests itself only with large volumes of precious metal and regular use, that is, in large production.

In general, experts usually name three alternative methods for purifying gold from impurities:

• wet (chemical);
• dry (chlorine treatment);
• electrolytic.

The chemical method is designed exclusively for processing those precious metals (including gold), the impurities of which may contain not only other metals, but also their compounds or natural alloys.

The choice of method and method for refining gold mainly depends on the composition of the alloy or compound.

If the alloy contains a large amount of silver, which, as is known, prevents its dissolution in aqua regia, forming an insoluble layer in acid, copper is usually added to such an alloy as a “baking powder”.

It is important that the percentage of silver in such an alloy is at least five percent of its total mass.

The components are then dissolved in nitric acid, which helps remove unwanted silver particles, and the precipitated metals are oxidized using aqua regia and then reduced. In the case of gold, this reducing agent is tin chloride.

Refining gold through the use of chlorine involves grinding an alloy of metal into a powder and passing chlorine gas through the heated powder. The result of this reaction is the following: a metal salt is formed (in the case of gold, gold chloride).

If the impurity contains other metals, then it is important for you to know the following: with high heating, silver chloride is concentrated in the upper part, and salts of other metals are located below.

The electrolytic method involves the deposition of precious metals on an electrode. It includes two stages:

1. Dissolution of one of the electrodes in aqua regia or hydrochloric acid, which occurs under the influence of current.
2. Deposition of precious metals on the second electrode, which occurs in the form of layers, the first of which will represent the most noble metal.

To obtain gold by electrolytic refining, it is necessary to use gold of at least 950 purity. Only from such material can you obtain Fine Gold of 999.9 purity.

We will discuss other methods of refining gold at home and in the laboratory in detail below.

Using zinc

Golden drop close up

In order to clean gold from impurities, it must first be mixed with zinc. To carry out this operation you will need the following tools:

• crucible;
• large and durable tweezers;
• steel spoke;
• titanium rod two to three millimeters thick;
• fireproof glass flask;
• electric stove;
• a cap with a hole at the bottom;
• apparatus for melting metal.

Materials required for refining:

1. Pure borax (ideally pharmacy grade).
2. Nitric acid (65-70%).
3. Hydrochloric acid (36-38%).
4. Zinc disintegrant.

It is important! For every ten grams of scrap gold, ten grams of zinc must be used.

Initially, the crucible must be dried and heated on an electric stove. After this, add borax to the recess of the crucible. Using tweezers, lower the crowbar into the crucible and heat until reddened. The next step is to sprinkle the scrap with a pinch of borax.

The melting temperature must correspond to the following:

• 999 standard – 1068 degrees Celsius;
• alloys with silver and copper 500 and below standard - 900 degrees Celsius.

After the gold has completely melted and a liquid ball has formed, we add small pieces of zinc, the optimal size of which is 6x6x6 millimeters. You can add the next piece of zinc only when the previous one has dissolved.

The alloy obtained in this way must be crushed in a mortar, after covering it with cloth.

The powder obtained in this way must be placed in a glass flask and placed on an electric stove. Pour sixty to seventy milliliters of concentrated nitric acid into the flask. When the reaction takes place, another forty to fifty milliliters of acid should be added. Repeat the procedure two or three times.

It is important! The total volume of acid should not exceed two hundred milliliters.

After the reaction has taken place, the flask with the solution must be placed on the stove and brought to a boil over low heat.

Next, we wash the precipitate by adding clean cold water to the cooled solution in the flask, the volume of which should be half the volume of the flask. Shake the solution and wait for the gold flakes to settle to the bottom. Carefully drain the liquid so that the sediment remains in the flask. Rinse the sediment until the water containing the sediment becomes clear.

We leave a small amount of water in the flask along with the sediment. We take a deep bowl, cover its bottom with gauze, and pour the rest into the bowl. Sprinkle the sediment remaining on the gauze generously with borax, tie it into a tight knot, blot it with filter paper, and place it in a crucible.

Sprinkle the assembly and crucible with borax again and place it on an electric stove, cover the crucible with a cap. It is necessary to heat until the gauze rots and the borax melts. The sediment will stick together into a small lump, after which you can remove the cap and melt the gold. As a result, a red ball should form at the bottom of the crucible.

The process can be stopped only if, when heating is stopped, the gold begins to harden within a few seconds, and its surface becomes clean and shiny.

The metal that has hardened at the bottom of the crucible must be immediately removed, cleaned of borax, and boiled in a bleach solution, the composition of which is as follows:

• half a liter of water;
• ten milliliters of nitric acid;
• twenty milliliters of hydrochloric acid.

Boiling time is five minutes in a flask.

Rinse the ingot in clean water.

Electrolysis

The electrolytic method of refining gold in our time is the simplest and most effective.

To use it, you need to fill a large bath with a mixture of gold chloride and hydrochloric acid.

In the process of such refining, the anodes of electrolytic baths are cast from gold that requires purification , and the cathodes are formed from special fibrous gold tin.

The electrochemical reaction occurs due to the application of voltage to the electrodes in the bath, due to which pure gold is deposited on the tin, the purity of which often reaches 999.9.

During this refining process, sludge is formed at the bottom of the bath, which contains all the additional impurities that were in the alloy before the start of the process.

inkstone

Gold in aqua regia

If the gold in the product is a yellow precious metal chloride, which is dissolved in aqua regia, a solution of ferrous sulfate must be used to refining such a product.

Iron sulfate is dissolved in water , the proportions of sulfate and water are as follows: one to two. If the solution becomes cloudy (this is due to the ongoing oxidation process), clean iron nails must be placed into the solution. The proportions are as follows: five grams of nails per one hundred grams of solution.

The first stage of refining involves evaporating excess nitric acid under a fume hood. To do this, “regia vodka” together with gold chloride must be heated in a porcelain bowl with the addition of sodium chloride, which will help prevent the decomposition of gold chloride.

An asbestos-coated iron mesh must be placed between such a cup and an open fire. During the heating process, the solution must be stirred with a glass rod and a small amount of hydrochloric acid must be added to it alternately.

It is important! It is necessary to thicken the liquid to a syrupy state, after which it must be cooled. When the liquid has cooled, you need to add hydrochloric acid and filter the liquid.

A saturated solution of ferrous sulfate is added to the filtrate. Thanks to such manipulations, the gold will precipitate and take the form of a red-brown heavy powder formed at the bottom of the vessel.

Such precipitate must also be filtered, washed with water and collected on a paper filter, which is subsequently burned. The metal thus obtained is nothing other than pure gold.

The correctness of all the described manipulations guarantees the receipt of pure gold of the highest standard.

Tin chloride

Chemical process of gold refining

The uniqueness of the refining process using tin chloride is that it:

• easy to use;
• not harmful to health;
• Only gold precipitates.

The process itself is as follows:

It is necessary to take tin chloride powder, to which add one part of water and one part of hydrochloric acid.

Tin chloride must be added to the gold-containing solution. If gold is present, a reaction will occur.

If a reaction occurs, the solution must be left for twelve to twenty-four hours.

The sediment will fall to the bottom. It must be boiled in hydrochloric acid, due to which it will acquire a yellowish color.

The process is described in more detail in the video below.

The essence of refining

The process of gold refining is not as complex in nature as it might seem at first glance.

It is quite easy to do not only in laboratory conditions and with special knowledge, but also at home, with a minimum of reagents on hand.

You can get pure gold by following the detailed instructions that were presented in this article.

2015-02-27

Source: https://siqnalrp.ru/stati-o-dragocennyh-metallah/90544-poshagovaya-instruktsiya-po-affinazhu-zolota-doma-v-laboratorii.html

How to dissolve gold: a review of chemicals that can dissolve the noble metal

Sometimes the average person has a desire to separate gold from various impurities. At first glance, dissolving gold (and without this it simply cannot be isolated) is a rather labor-intensive procedure, but feasible, you just need to know which ingredients can be used and which cannot.

How to dissolve gold?

The process of extracting pure gold through its dissolution can be carried out in various ways. Some obtain it by cyanidation.

Cyanidation refers to the extraction procedure using potassium cyanide. Others use fluorine for separation.

It should be noted that this procedure is very dangerous. The fact is that the process is feasible only at extremely high temperatures. In addition, fluorine is one of the most toxic substances in nature.

The most popular method is to dissolve gold using aqua regia. It is noteworthy that “royal vodka” has been used in this area since 1270, and in Russia, since 1742, and this technique is still the undisputed leader.

Also, if there is a need to make 999 from ordinary 585 gold, “aqua regia” will prove to be an indispensable assistant here too.

What is required for the process and how does the metal dissolve?

Before you begin the actual procedure, you should know how to dissolve gold. You also need to prepare in advance:

1. Nitric acid.
2. Sulfuric acid. Both components must be concentrated.
3. Container for reactions. An ordinary beaker from a laboratory or a glass flask is best suited for this.
4. And the main participant in the process is scrap jewelry, or any other part with elements of precious metal.

Many are surprised how it happens that a mixture of acids dissolves the king of metals. In fact, when two types of acids and a precious metal are combined, a new product appears.

You may be interested in: White gold and silver: how to tell the difference?

It is called hydrogen tetrachloroaurate, or otherwise called chlorauric acid.

The reaction process itself occurs as follows - Au + HNO3 + 4 HCl = HAuCl4 + NO + 2 H2O.

This peculiar equation makes it objectively clear that for the dissolution process 1 g.

Precious metal will require at least 5 ml of reactive liquid. What is most interesting is that the solvent is not nitric acid, but sulfuric acid.

Nitric acid in this case is required only to act as a catalyst.

How to dissolve gold jewelry step by step?

First of all, if the material is scrap precious metal or a product with impurities, cleaning should be carried out using ferromagnetic intervention.

The process then continues in the form of treatment with pure nitric or other acids. Only after this can you begin direct dissolution.

You should start with accurate measurements of proportions. That is, if the mass of the potential material is 1 gram, you should prepare 3.75 milliliters of concentrated hydrochloric acid, then mix everything in a container.

Almost immediately after mixing, dissolving processes should occur. As soon as the reaction is complete, the solution is drained and repeated as in the first case.

After adding 2 portions of hydrochloric acid, the flask must be heated. During the heating process, the next component in the form of nitric acid is slowly introduced.

If the initial ratio of acids is 3 to 1, then per 1 gram of metal you will need 1.25 ml of nitric acid and in no case more, since it will be difficult to isolate in the next stage.

Within a short time, the precious metal will completely dissolve, but it should be noted that the definition of completely means exclusively the gold component. Other components, for example, silver, tend to be passivated.

Once the entire process has reached the completion stage, you should wait 20-30 minutes, maintaining the heating temperature at the same level.

One small but important note! It is not enough to know what gold is dissolved in; you must follow clear recommendations and be sure to observe safety precautions.

Under no circumstances should the heating process be allowed to boil. If this happens, the precious metal will begin to precipitate ahead of time, and this will significantly complicate the further stage of deposition of the aurum in its pure form.

Source: http://VseoZolote.ru/interesno/kak-rastvorit-zoloto.html

Gold refining at home: obtaining pure metal from radio components and microcircuits in different ways

Refining is the purification of metal from impurities.

This process consists of a series of sequential processes for separating excess components by physical and chemical means.

Some of the refining methods used in industry can be implemented at home, but sometimes the costs of carrying out the reactions exceed the profit from the resulting noble metal.

In this article we will tell you how to remove and separate gold from radio components and get it out of microcircuits, how to do it safely with your own hands.

Where is this precious metal found?

Hundreds of tons of gold are used annually in the production of radio components and computer chips. Contacts made of this metal are characterized by high electrical conductivity, they are not subject to oxidation, and therefore are widely used.

Gold is contained in the following components :

• diodes;
• transistors;
• glass electrodes;
• relay;
• ports;
• jumpers;
• motherboard memory modules.

Note that in practice there may be much less gold in radio components than there should be according to documents (especially in technical products made after 1989).

Methods for removing impurities

The main method of isolating pure metal from mixtures, including from various radio components, is chemical refining . It is very common to dissolve it in aqua regia (a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid), followed by passing through a filter and reduction.

Electrolysis method

With the electrolysis method, gold from radio components or any other gold exposed to sulfuric or hydrochloric acid is deposited on the cathode when an electric current passes through the solution.

In industry, a cathode made of already purified gold is used; at home, you can use iron or lead .

A drop in current is a signal that the dissolution process is complete. This method is also effective and therefore quite common.

To etch gold from the surface of radio components, the most common pharmaceutical Lugol's solution is used - it is a mixture of iodine and potassium iodide. During the reaction, complex anions containing gold molecules are formed.

To increase speed, chemists add sulfuric or nitric acid . The dissolution process can continue for days. Subsequently, the noble metal is precipitated from the solution in different ways.

Using bleach "Whiteness"

Popular household bleach consists primarily of sodium hypochloride.

This substance, when mixed with hydrochloric acid, produces chlorine , which is subsequently used to dissolve gold to form gold chloride.

After this, sodium bisulfate is added .

At the end of the reaction, gray particles remain at the bottom of the vessel - this is gold, which will acquire a natural color after remelting.

Another option is to mix White, table salt (sodium chloride) and battery electrolyte, which is nothing more than sulfuric acid. The hypochlorous acid obtained during the reaction dissolves gold - it must be reduced in the future .

Refining "without acid"

Recipes spread on the Internet for obtaining gold from radio components and dissolving gold “without acid” essentially mislead readers, since acid (usually hydrochloric acid) is formed as a result of the reaction of other substances .

In addition, not everyone knows that the battery electrolyte used in such cases is also an acid.

Using Hydrogen Peroxide

The extraction of gold from radio components using hydrogen peroxide is carried out as follows.

This substance, otherwise called perhydrol, reacts with hydrochloric acid, dissolving gold. To do this, gold-containing raw materials are poured with acid and peroxide is added.

The resulting chloroauric acid is further decomposed into elements .

To do this, you can use a thermal method (point a blue flame of a burner at the substance) or a chemical one. The latter consists of reducing gold by adding ferrous sulfate.

Other extraction methods

There are many other refining methods that can be used to collect gold from chips, such as electrolyte and ammonium nitrate.

In this case, the electrolyte is mixed with ammonium nitrate - the so-called salt of nitric acid. The resulting composition is capable of dissolving the noble metal.

Most other methods also based on the dissolution of gold and its subsequent reduction .

The processes differ according to:

• cost;
• availability of components;
• reaction speed.

Step-by-step instructions for extracting metal from radio components and microcircuits

To extract gold from microcircuits and radio components, it is advisable to use aqua regia .

To refine gold using this method, you must perform the following steps :

• grind the components mechanically, separating the parts that contain gold;
• get rid of organic matter by burning or calcining;
• open the windows in the room for better ventilation;
• for experiments, prepare a vessel made of borosilicate glass;
• place the workpieces in a concentrated mixture of 36% hydrochloric acid (3 parts) and 95% nitric acid (1 part) in small portions - up to 3 grams at a time, 500 ml of aqua regia will be required per 100 g of raw materials;
• Heat the solution while gradually adding nitric acid;
• check the presence of gold with tin chloride;
• filter the solution, then remove nitric acid from it.

Gold can subsequently be reduced using ferrous sulfate, perhydrol, oxalic acid or hydrazine sulfate. The resulting gold is smelted into an ingot using a crucible .

Note that it is unsafe to purify gold at home due to the significant causticity and toxicity of the substances used and the volatile compounds released.

In addition, advanced knowledge of chemistry will be required.

The gold ingot (barrel) obtained as a result of purification most often has insignificant weight. However, even in such quantities it is of interest to buyers.

Advertisements for buying gold can be easily found on the Internet or in local newspapers.

Often, solid metal is purchased by the same companies that buy radio components.

(for example, aluminum or brass) may also be interested in gold

If the buyer is in the same city as the seller, the transaction is completed upon visiting the specified address.

The buyer himself weighs the metal and checks its quality, after which he sets a price. Of course, if possible, it is advisable to check all offers on the market in order to choose the most profitable one. The bullion can be sent to another city by mail, cash on delivery.

Some pawnshops are also ready to accept goods of this kind. To find out at what price the establishment will be willing to purchase gold, contact a pawnshop employee. Another option is to submit an ad yourself . In this case, you just have to wait for a call from a potential buyer.

If you engage in refining on an industrial scale, you should rely on existing laws.

To legally engage in the circulation of precious metals, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur or create an LLC.

When selling gold, focus on its purity and market value.

The price per gram of 999 fine precious metal is set by the Central Bank of Russia . Since 2004, its prices have been continuously rising. The most significant jump was observed in 2016, when the cost exceeded 3 thousand rubles per gram.

Source: https://rcycle.net/metally/dragotsennye/affinazh/poluchenie-zolota-v-domashnih-usloviyah-iz-radiodetalej-i-mikroshem

Purification of gold by dissolving in aqua regia

Often there is a need to purify gold from other metals contained in the alloy or scrap. When obtaining gold by cyanidation, dissolving ore in a solution of potassium cyanide, gold is also often mixed with silver and copper in the final product.

If it is necessary to turn low-grade gold into high-grade gold, the same task arises - to clean the precious metal from accompanying impurities. A classic method that allows for fairly simple cleaning is dissolving gold in aqua regia.

Table of contents

• 1 Dissolving gold
• 2 Filtering the solution
• 3 Gold precipitation

Return

Dissolving gold

Homemade mixture

Aqua regia, or Aqua Regia, is a mixture of concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids in a ratio of 1:3 by volume and approximately 1:2 by weight. More precisely, 65-68% by weight nitric acid (HNO3) and 32-35% hydrochloric acid (HCl).

Such a strange name for this mixture was given by alchemists: only this “vodka” had the ability to dissolve the “king of metals” - gold (the word “vodka” itself in Russian scientific language meant chemical “water” - a liquid reagent; this term has already been assigned to a strong alcoholic drink much later).

As a result of the reaction of metallic gold with aqua regia, a complex compound is formed - chloroauric acid, or hydrogen tetrachloraurate. The following reaction occurs:

Au + HNO3 + 4 HCl = HAuCl4 + NO + 2 H2O.

Based on this chemical equation and the density of aqua regia, it turns out that to dissolve 1 gram of gold you need at least 5 ml of reagent. In this case, gold actually dissolves only in hydrochloric acid. Neither nitrogen nor oxygen is included in the composition of chloroauric acid. Nitric acid acts only as an oxidizing agent that catalyzes the entry of gold into the reaction. In this regard, it is better to carry out the dissolution process as follows.

First of all, if we are dealing with scrap containing gold, we need to remove ferromagnetic particles using a magnet. After this, purify the gold as much as possible from impurities using other acids, primarily pure nitric acid. Only then can the process of dissolving the gold begin.

First you need to measure out 3.75 ml of hydrochloric acid for each gram of gold-containing metal and fill it with it alone. If a more or less noticeable reaction begins, it means that some impurities have already begun to dissolve. You need to wait until the process is completed, drain the solution and pour a new portion of hydrochloric acid into the metal. Now you need to start heating the container with the reagent, gradually adding nitric acid at the rate of 1.25 ml per 1 gram of metal.

The main thing is not to overdo it with nitric acid, since when gold is precipitated from solution, it will be necessary to get rid of it most consistently. As soon as all the metal has dissolved, you should immediately stop adding it to the solution.

Moreover, not all of the original substance will necessarily dissolve: silver, unlike gold, is passivated in aqua regia due to the formation of a dense chloride film on the surface.

After dissolution is complete, keep the solution heated for about half an hour.

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Filtering the solution

Now it's time to filter the solution. For now, you can use a fairly coarse filter, and finer cleaning will happen later.

The resulting precipitate

It should be understood that aqua regia itself is a rather unstable substance: hydrochloric and nitric acids react with each other. Initially transparent, it soon turns orange-brownish due to nitrogen oxides, and then completely loses its oxidizing properties. The following reactions occur:

HNO3 + 3 HCl = 2Cl + NOCl + 2H2O

NOCl = NO + Cl

2NO + O2 = 2NO2

In addition, both acids simply evaporate. In this regard, it is advisable to keep the solution for about a day at this stage, as this will facilitate the further process of evaporation of nitric acid.

When evaporating, a small amount of sulfuric acid should be added to the solution, no more than 50 ml per liter. This will help precipitate residual amounts of lead and silver chloride (which, although slightly soluble, may be present in small quantities in the solution). In addition, the evaporation process will go faster.

Heating is done slowly and carefully. The solution is evaporated to the consistency of syrup (no more!). It is impossible to bring it to a boil, since in this case it cannot be ruled out that gold will precipitate in the form of a metallic precipitate already at this stage.

Then add hydrochloric acid to the solution to the original volume and evaporate again to a syrupy state. The process is repeated three times. After this, the liquid is diluted 2 times with cold water and left in the cold for a day.

In this case, the remaining silver chloride should precipitate: it dissolves only in concentrated hydrochloric acid, and the higher the temperature, the better. Accordingly, as the concentration and temperature drop, AgCl precipitates.

Now filtering is carried out “in full”: no turbidity should remain in the solution.

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Gold precipitation

Precipitation of gold from solution can be done using various reagents (hydrogen peroxide, oxalic acid, sodium sulfite or pyrosulfite), but usually ferrous sulfate is used - ferrous sulfate FeSO4. The following reaction occurs:

HAuCl4 + 3FeSO4 = Fe2(SO4)3 + FeCl3 + HCl + Au.

Iron sulfate must be taken at least 13 g per 1 g of the intended final product. It is enough to dilute iron sulfate with warm water with a small amount of hydrochloric acid and add it to the existing solution. The liquid should immediately become cloudy.

If this does not happen, and especially if hissing begins, it means that the nitric acid has not been completely evaporated.

In this case, you can repeat the evaporation process, or you can simply add a little more ferrous sulfate (it is good for its ability to easily and safely neutralize excess nitric acid).

After a day, the deposition process is completed. If, when adding grains of iron sulfate to the solution, no cloud of turbidity appears, then the isolation of gold is complete. If cloudiness appears, you need to add more ferrous sulfate and wait.

Lastly, after draining the entire solution, the resulting gold precipitate should be washed with hydrochloric acid to remove iron salts, and then with an ammonia solution (ammonia) to remove residual copper.

This way you can get gold of 999 purity and even higher. From a jewelry point of view, such a metal will correspond to the highest standard - 24 carats.

Source: https://grammzolota.ru/dobycha/vyidelenie-osazhdenie-rastvorenie-tsarskoy-vodke.html

How to get gold at home? Secret mining methods

Even the word “gold” itself has a magical effect on a person, not to mention its appearance. Let dreams of gold-bearing rivers and mines remain dreams. However, for those who still want to feel like a gold miner, we can offer a very real way - gold mining at home. Of course, we are not talking about kilograms, but you can get enough metal to use it for practical purposes.

Properties of gold

Gold is a precious metal that is widely used in jewelry. However, in addition to its jewelry value, it should be noted that its unique electrical conductivity determines its use in electronics, where in critical parts it is necessary to ensure low resistance with minimal dimensions. It is these parts that become the main raw materials for home gold mining.

When organizing gold mining and processing, its basic properties should be taken into account:

1. High specific gravity. This characteristic is used when implementing technologies such as washing, when heavy weight causes gold grains to settle.
2. High ductility, facilitating forging of metal when making jewelry from it. Very thin threads can be made from gold.
3. Inertia. Gold does not react chemically with most known acids, alkalis and solvents. Only aqua regia and some solvents can affect it. This property is very important for organizing the extraction process.
4. Lower melting point compared to other metals and minerals, which makes it possible to smelt gold from products and make jewelry from the melt.

Attention. Being in a molten state, gold quickly evaporates, which must be taken into account when melting it.

Where is gold found?

The home craftsman needs to be prepared for a labor-intensive and painstaking process, because... the available raw materials have a meager gold content and are difficult to extract. Precious metal can be extracted from the following materials:

1. Parts of radio equipment and electronic devices - microcircuits, transistors, diodes, capacitors, resistors, switches, motherboards, connectors, processors. A sufficient amount of gold for extraction is contained in relays such as RES, RPS, RPV, RKG; lamps from old radios and televisions. The GMI series radio tubes stand out in particular. Gold-containing parts can be found in televisions, radios, computers, tape recorders, VCRs, mobile phones, refrigerators and other household appliances. The presence of such parts, as a rule, was indicated in the equipment passport. Modern technologies make it possible to do without the use of precious metals, and therefore they should be looked for in the parts of old instruments and devices. It should be noted that Soviet-made products were distinguished by a large number of valuable parts.
2. Costume jewelry . Gold can be extracted from spoiled, damaged, deteriorated earrings, rings, pendants, pendants, brooches and other jewelry that has gilding or inclusions of valuable elements.
3. Watch . Of interest are products with coating on the case or hands, and bracelets.
4. Cutlery and souvenirs . These can be forks, spoons, dishes, figurines, decorative elements with gold plating.

Interesting: We buy silver bars at Sberbank - nuances and prices

Mining process at home step by step

Gold mining at home can be organized in several ways. They are based on the following principles:

1. Dissolving the base . To obtain the precious metal, it is enough to expose products with surface gold (watches, dishes) to a powerful solvent. This technique is based on the unique inertness of gold, which is not affected even by concentrated acid. To implement the method, it is enough to place the coated product in a glass container and fill it with concentrated nitric acid. All metal parts will dissolve in 3-4 days, and the gold will precipitate.
2. Etching . This principle is based on the complete dissolution of details. In order to dissolve gold, you will need a “hellish mixture” in the form of a combination of hydrochloric and nitric acid - “aqua regia”. In such a liquid, gold only dissolves, and all other ingredients do not simply dissolve, but chemically react with the acid, forming the corresponding compounds. Under these conditions, the introduction of the necessary reagents allows gold to be precipitated from solution. You can use hydroquinone, hydrazine, hydrogen peroxide, sodium sulfite, and ferrous sulfate. Etching technology is most suitable for extracting gold from small parts of electronic devices.
3. Electrolysis. High purity gold can be obtained by electrolysis. The gold-containing radio component serves as the anode, and 2 lead or iron plates are installed as the cathode, connected at the top by a conductor. The electrolyte is hydrochloric acid. When a direct electric current is passed (with a density of 0.6-0.7 A/sq.dm of anode area), gold gradually transfers to the cathode plates and settles on their surface.

Gold etching techniques

When implementing these methods for obtaining gold from various parts, it is necessary to follow a certain procedure. The first production option involves the following work:

1. Accumulation of sufficient quantities of raw materials. Removing all elements that have no value. Only gold-plated elements with a minimum content of other materials are prepared for processing.
2. Place the raw material in a glass container and fill it with concentrated nitric acid.
3. After 3-4 days (provided the base is completely dissolved), the solution is filtered through gauze layers.
4. The resulting sediment is placed in a glass container and filled with ethyl alcohol or vodka. Exposure is 22-25 hours.
5. The brown precipitate is washed and filtered, after which it is sent for melting. To obtain a purer metal, it is recommended to add soda to the melt.

Most often, gold is extracted from radio components by etching. This technology is implemented in the following sequence:

1. Accumulation of sufficient quantities of raw materials for processing.
2. Preparation of “royal vodka”. Hydrochloric (3 parts) and nitric (1 part) acid are mixed in a glass container with utmost care.
3. The raw materials are cleaned of dirt and loaded into “royal vodka”.
4. The liquid is heated to accelerate dissolution. The process is considered complete when the parts are completely dissolved and the solution turns bright green.
5. Gold precipitation. For these purposes, you can use a solution of hydroquinone, prepared by adding 50 g to 1 liter of water. This composition is carefully poured into a vessel with aqua regia, maintaining a concentration of 10 ml of hydroquinone per 1 liter of solvent. Next, the container is left for 3.5-4 hours.
6. The solution is carefully filtered, and then the gold deposited at the bottom of the container is evaporated and dried. The sediment looks like thin pieces of yellow foil.

Home gold mining is characterized by tiny portions of the precious metal, and therefore it is necessary to minimize its losses. Thus, at the final stage of gold evaporation, it is recommended to add borax and soda to the resulting sediment, which will reduce waste and simplify further processing. It is better to immediately pour the resulting metal into specially prepared molds (crucibles).

Small burners or muffle furnaces are used to melt gold. The molds are made of cast iron or alloy steel and have a collapsible design. Most often, gold is stored in the form of small bars. Depending on the quantity of the final product obtained, it is sometimes shaped into rods or wires.

Features of working with reagents

When mining gold at home, you will have to deal with very aggressive and harmful chemicals. It must be remembered that acid vapors (especially when heated) are extremely dangerous for the human body.

During the work, nitrogen oxide is released, which can damage the respiratory system, even leading to death. Frequent and prolonged inhalation of harmful substances can cause chronic diseases. Concentrated acids can cause severe chemical burns to both the skin and mucous membranes.

Important. When carrying out work at home, precautions must be strictly observed. Good ventilation of the room must be ensured at all stages. You can only work with rubber gloves, safety glasses, a respirator and a protective apron.

Interesting: How much does a gram of gold cost in a pawnshop?

Use of the received gold

Home-mined gold can be used in a variety of ways. At the same time, we should not forget that obtaining a permanent income in this way requires obtaining an appropriate license. In general, the following options stand out:

1. Sale of gold bars or handing them over for sale. To achieve the desired appearance, they are polished using toothpaste applied to the rough surface of the metal with felt.
2. Preparation of jewelry solder for repairing gold jewelry. This solder is made by mixing the resulting gold with various additives. For example, to repair products with 585 purity, the following solder recipe is used: gold - 585 parts by weight (parts by weight), copper - 185 parts by weight, silver - 116 parts by weight, cadmium - 112 parts by weight. For ease of use, solder is prepared in the form of a paste - tinol.

Jewelry making

At home, you can make various simple jewelry - earrings, pendants, rings, rings, chains. The most common method is casting into special molds. The resulting precious metal is melted in small containers with a spout.

Heating to the required temperature is provided by a muffle furnace. Next, the melt is directed in a thin stream through the hole into the mold. If necessary, the metal is carefully forged.

Making complex products requires a set of special jeweler's tools.

Mining gold at home, with your own hands, is a labor-intensive but completely doable process. The precious metal can be found in old radio equipment and various electronic devices. To extract it, chemical reagents are required, when working with which you must be careful. Gold lies idle nearby and can be mined without searching for a gold-bearing vein.

Source: https://yainvestor.guru/idei-investitsij/dragmetally/hand-made-gold

What and how can you dissolve gold?

Gold solvents are rare, the reason is that the metal is considered noble for a reason, it is inert and does not react with chemical reagents. For this reason, there are not many liquids and elements with which gold interacts. Modern chemists use the experience of generations and, in the old fashioned way, dissolve the metal in aqua regia, which was first described by an alchemist in the 14th century.

What is aqua regia?

Dissolving gold is a complex and time-consuming process; for this reason, alchemists have been trying to find a universal solvent for several centuries. They needed it not only to identify metal, but also to transform iron into gold.

Dissolving gold in aqua regia

The first descriptions of aqua regia appeared long before hydrochloric acid was discovered. Through trial and error, Pseudo-Geber obtained a mixture that, in his opinion, could dissolve any metal, including gold. This happened in Europe. The reaction took place using the following components:

• saltpeter;
• copper sulfate;
• ammonia;
• quartz.

The process of obtaining the solvent was carried out by dry distillation. The alchemist recommended preparing the mixture in a glass container that was tightly sealed.

The scientist Albert the Great called secondary vodka a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid. He considered nitric acid to be the primary vodka.

Bonaventura, the third researcher, described the mixture of acids as a solvent, he outlined his experiments on paper, and called the solution he was able to obtain “strong vodka.”

Scientists from Tsarist Russia also had an interest in chemistry; one of the first to describe in their works a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids was Mikhail Lomonosov.

It is also noteworthy that initially the word “vodka” had no connection with strong alcoholic drinks. It came from the word water, only in the diminutive form.

Gold does not dissolve in water - everyone knows this, but a mixture of acids has the transparency that is characteristic of water, for this reason it was called vodka.

When gold begins to dissolve or the solution interacts with air, the reaction occurs with the release of gas. Previously it was believed that these were vapors of the precious metal that evaporated during the reaction, but over the years it became known that the gas that is released during the dissolution of gold is chlorine.

Properties of aqua regia:

• dissolves gold and platinum group metals, provided that oxygen is involved in the reaction;
• used in the process of refining precious metals;
• the mixture of acids is transparent, but over time the solution gradually acquires an orange tint and loses its properties.

Gold dissolves in solution at room temperature, but if there is a need to speed up the reaction, the acid mixture is heated.

Several other properties of aqua regia can be noted:

1. Does not dissolve silver (the metal forms a film).
2. Does not dissolve Teflon.
3. Zirconium, chromium, titanium and other elements are sensitive to solution.

Describing the properties of aqua regia, we can recall one interesting fact when German scientists managed to keep their awards.

Receiving the Nobel Prize in Germany was prohibited during the reign of Adolf Hitler. Due to the fact that the German chemist and opponent of the National Socialist Party, Karl von Ossietzky, once received the award.

Two German physicists, fearing confiscation, gave their awards to the chemist György de Hevesy. He hid the medals, but when the Germans occupied Copenhagen, the chemist was afraid that the awards would be confiscated. He dissolved the medals in aqua regia and placed the jar on the shelf. While searching the premises, the German military did not pay attention to the solution.

After the end of the war, the chemist restored the gold and sent it along with a letter to the Royal Swedish Academy, this happened three years later. The Nobel Foundation made new medals from gold and returned them to their owners.

What other solvents exist?

How to dissolve gold without using hydrochloric and nitric acids? For this you will need another acid, hydrocyanic acid. This dissolution method can be achieved by cyanidation of ores. It is mainly used in industry because it is considered a technologically complex process that cannot be carried out at home.

How does the process work:

• a site is prepared that does not allow water to pass through;
• ore is placed on the site, which includes a noble metal;
• the ore is irrigated with cyanide solutions;
• cyanide seeps through the rock and dissolves the gold;
• the metal settles in dissolved form in the columns.

For a long time, cyanidation proceeded a little differently, today the process has been technically improved and has a different name - large leaching.

Used to extract gold from ore rocks in large enterprises. But the procedure has several disadvantages due to the fact that it is not possible to obtain gold from all ores in this way. It is necessary to take into account the properties of the metal.

If we are talking about sulfide ores, then in order to extract the noble metal from them, you will have to use complex technologies. It is necessary to subject the rock to special purification systems, which are called refining and are used in factories.

Gold also dissolves upon contact with mercury, but this is not exactly what is necessary. Amalgam is an alloy of mercury and gold. This method is interesting because in order to obtain the noble metal, the rock was mixed with mercury and additionally crushed in mills. Mercury formed an alloy with gold. The alloy was destroyed by washing, after which the mercury was removed and reused, since it did not lose its properties.

It is noteworthy that this method has been known to mankind since the 1st century AD, but it began to be used on a large scale only in the 16th century; this happened in Spain, whose territory at that time was an American colony. The reason for it all was a large deposit of mercury. Later the technology was improved. They began to use gateways with copper plates on which a thin layer of mercury was applied.

Source: https://HochuZoloto.com/svojstva/rastvoriteli-zolota.html

What does gold dissolve in: a review of chemicals that can dissolve gold

Gold is an extremely low-active metal. Even in nature, it occurs mainly in the form of nuggets (unlike alkali and alkaline earth metals, which are found exclusively in minerals or other compounds). When exposed to air for a long time, it is not oxidized by oxygen (this noble metal is valued for this, too). Therefore, it is quite difficult to find what gold dissolves in, but it is possible.

Industrial method

When extracting gold from so-called gold-bearing sands, you have to work with a suspension of approximately equally small particles of gold and grains of sand, which need to be separated from each other. You can do this by washing, or you can use sodium or potassium cyanide - there is no difference. The fact is that gold forms a soluble complex with cyanide ions, but sand does not dissolve and remains as is.

The key point in this reaction is the presence of oxygen (there is enough of it in the air): oxygen oxidizes gold in the presence of cyanide ions and a complex is obtained. If there is insufficient air or without cyanide, the reaction does not proceed.

Now this is the most common method of industrial gold production. Of course, there are still many stages before obtaining the final product, but we are specifically interested in this stage: cyanide solutions - what gold dissolves in.

The amalgamation process is also used in industry, only when working with ores and hard rocks. Its essence lies in the ability of mercury to form an amalgam - an intermetallic compound. Strictly speaking, mercury does not dissolve gold in this process: it remains in solid form in the amalgam.

During amalgamation, the rock is wetted with liquid mercury. However, the process of “pulling” gold into amalgam is long, dangerous (mercury vapor is poisonous) and ineffective, so this method is rarely used anywhere.

Aqua regia

There are many acids that can corrode living tissue and leave terrible chemical burns (even death). However, there is no single acid in which gold dissolves.

Of all the acids, only the famous mixture - aqua regia - can affect it. These are nitric and hydrochloric (hydrochloric) acids, taken in a ratio of 3 to 1 by volume.

The remarkable properties of this hellish cocktail are due to the fact that acids are taken in very high concentrations, which greatly increases their oxidizing ability.

Aqua regia begins to act when nitric acid begins to oxidize hydrochloric acid first, and during this reaction, atomic chlorine is formed - a very reactive particle. It is she who attacks gold and forms a complex with it - chlorauric acid.

This is a very useful reagent. Very often, gold is stored in the laboratory in the form of crystalline hydrate of such an acid. For us, it only serves as confirmation that gold dissolves in aqua regia.

It is worth paying attention once again to the fact that it is not one of the two acids that oxidizes the metal in this reaction, but the product of their mutual reaction. So if you take, for example, “nitrogen” alone - a well-known oxidizing acid - nothing will come of it. Neither concentration nor temperature can make gold dissolve in nitric acid.

Bleaching

Unlike acids, particularly hydrochloric acid, individual substances can become what gold dissolves in. A widely known household bleach is a solution of chlorine gas in water. Of course, you can’t do anything with an ordinary store-bought solution; higher concentrations are needed.

Chlorine water acts as follows: chlorine dissociates into hydrochloric and hypochlorous acids. Hypochlorous acid decomposes under light into oxygen and hydrochloric acid. In such decomposition, atomic oxygen is released: like atomic chlorine in the reaction with aqua regia, it is very active and oxidizes gold for the sweet soul. As a result, a complex of gold and chlorine is again obtained, as in the previous method.

Other halogens

In addition to chlorine, other elements of the seventh group of the periodic table also oxidize gold well. It is difficult to fully say about them: “that in which gold dissolves.”

Gold can react with fluorine in different ways: during direct synthesis (at a temperature of 300-400°C), gold fluoride III is formed, which immediately hydrolyzes in water. It is so unstable that it decomposes even when exposed to hydrofluoric acid, although it should be comfortable among fluoride ions.

Also, by the action of the strongest oxidizing agents: fluorides of noble gases (krypton, xenon), gold fluoride V can be obtained. Such fluoride generally explodes upon contact with water.

With bromine, things are somewhat simpler. Bromine is a liquid under normal conditions, and gold dissipates well in its solutions, forming soluble gold bromide III.

Gold also reacts with iodine when heated (up to 400°C), forming gold iodide I (this degree of oxidation is explained by the lower activity of iodine compared to other halogens).

Thus, gold certainly reacts with halogens, but whether gold dissolves in them is controversial.

Lugol's solution

In fact, iodine (common iodine I2) is insoluble in water. Let’s dissolve its complex with potassium iodide. This compound is called Lugol's solution - and it can dissolve gold. By the way, it is often used to lubricate the throat of those with a sore throat, so not everything is so simple.

This reaction also occurs through the formation of complexes. Gold forms complex anions with iodine. It is used, as a rule, for etching gold - a process in which interaction occurs only with the surface of the metal. Lugol's solution is convenient in this case because, unlike aqua regia and cyanide, the reaction is noticeably slower (and the reagents are more accessible).

Bonus

When we said that single acids are something in which gold does not dissolve, we lied a little - in fact, such acids exist.

Perchloric acid is one of the strongest acids. Its oxidizing properties are extremely high. In a dilute solution they show up poorly, but in high concentrations they work wonders. The reaction produces its salt, gold perchlorate, which is yellow and unstable.

Of the acids in which gold dissolves, there is also hot concentrated selenic acid. As a result, a salt is also formed - gold selenate of red-yellow color.

Source: https://FB.ru/article/384182/v-chem-rastvoryaetsya-zoloto-obzor-himikatov-sposobnyih-rastvorit-zoloto

What gold dissolves in: a review of chemicals, the use of acids, which method is suitable for home use

Good afternoon, readers! In this article you will find information about one of the most complex processes in chemistry - the dissolution of gold. With the help of my tips, you can recreate the most severe reaction yourself and without special skills!

Gold is a fairly low-active metal. In nature, it is most often found as compounds. When an inexperienced chemist sets out to obtain pure precious metal, the question naturally arises in what gold dissolves. It is impossible to isolate it without dissolution. But finding a substance that will undergo a complex reaction is not an easy task; it’s not for nothing that gold is called a noble metal.

How can you dissolve gold?

For many years, chemists used only a dangerous method in which, at extremely high temperatures, gold dissolves in a reaction with fluorine. But in the modern world, new, safer methods are being used.

Amalgam

Amalgam is an alloy of mercury in a liquid or solid state and is used as an industrial refining method. The process of gold amalgamation involves the ability of mercury to form compounds of several metals.

Before amalgamation, the nugget should be placed in a solution of nitric acid in a ratio of 10:1 with water. The gold must remain in solution until the visible reaction is complete, after which it must be washed.

For amalgamation, precious metal and mercury are taken in equal proportions. Place both substances in a non-metallic tray and rotate it. A ball of mercury dissolves in the molecules of the nugget. Unnecessary sediment is poured out of the tray.

The amalgam saturated with gold must be washed carefully under running water.

Excess mercury from the amalgam is removed by pressing the ball through wet suede. The compound remaining on the surface is heated until the mercury completely evaporates.

Which method is suitable for home use?

Gold refining (obtaining pure metal) can be done at home. The safest method of dissolution is using electric current.

Step-by-step instructions for dissolving gold

Dissolving metal is a labor-intensive process. An effective way is to use zinc. It is used by chemists to isolate the purest metal of high purity.

There are many videos that clearly show a violent reaction with zinc.

Required materials and tools

The following tools are required:

• heating container;
• large tweezers;
• plate;
• fireproof flask;
• cap with a slot;
• apparatus for melting metals.

Source: https://zhazhdazolota.ru/dobycha/v-chem-rastvoryaetsya-aurum

Reagents and progress of the gold dissolution process

Gold solvents are substances that can act on the precious metal and transform the element for some time. Many may ask, why dissolve gold? This process is intended primarily to purify precious metals from impurities and effectively recycle waste.

Dissolving gold in aqua regia

Dissolution process

By dissolving gold, it is possible, using subsequent processes, to achieve a higher standard, that is, to increase the amount of precious metal in the alloy. The process occurs in three stages:

1. Dissolution of gold with impurities.
2. Evaporation.
3. Precious metal deposition.

It is for the first stage that solvents are needed. But not every potent substance is suitable for such purposes. Gold is a noble metal, which means the substance is inert in relation to many reagents. But at the same time, there are acids or mixtures that can dissolve gold.

Dissolving is a complex process, but it can be done at home. For example, before cleaning scrap or extracting precious metal from radio components. But before adding reagents to products, it is worth clearing the scrap of impurities. For example, using a magnet to get rid of ferromagnets. Then the scrap can be dipped in nitrous acid to immediately get rid of some of the metals.

Reagents (substances) for the first stage of purification

Among the reagents that can be used to dissolve gold, the most famous and used is aqua regia, or Aqua Regia. The substance is very popular; it is even studied in chemistry lessons at school. How to dissolve gold in aqua regia is a question that worries home experimenters. The composition of aqua regia is a mixture of concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids in a ratio of 1:3 by volume and 1:2 by weight. About 65-67% is nitric acid by weight and 33-36% is hydrochloric acid.

The reagent was nicknamed Tsarsky because it could dissolve the “king of metals,” but vodka was originally a liquid substance. Much later, the meaning of this word became associated with an alcoholic drink. From a chemical point of view, the reaction results in a substance - chlorauric acid, or water tetrachloroaurate.

The process formula looks like this: Au + HNO3 + 4 HCl = HAuCl4 + NO + 2 H2O. Therefore, based on the equation, 5 milliliters of aqua regia are needed to dissolve 1 gram of gold. In the reaction, it is hydrochloric acid that is the solvent, and nitric acid acts as a catalyst, that is, it accelerates the process and compensates for the reaction.

Therefore, during the dissolution process, it is best to take 3.75 milliliters of hydrochloric acid per gram of gold scrap. After a visible reaction begins to occur, keep the metal in the solution for up to 5 minutes and drain the acid, then fill it with a new portion of the substance. Next, place the container with the crowbar and acid on the stove and heat the mixture by pouring nitric acid into it in a proportion of 1.25 milliliters per 1 gram of metal.

All reagents must be calculated, especially nitric acid. It is this substance that will have to be disposed of during the process of filtration and sedimentation. After dissolving the metal, do not add nitric acid to the solution. After completing the dissolution process, it is necessary to keep the resulting mixture heated for about 30 minutes.

The next stage will be the filtration of gold, which occurs with the help of other substances. Filtration is a two-step process. Before filtration, after dissolution, you need to let the solution sit for about a day, since during this time the acids in the aqua regia evaporate. The substance itself is unstable, which makes subsequent purification of the precious metal easier.

Gold precipitation

Of all the existing substances, not only vodka copes with the processes of dissolving the noble metal. The following applies to gold:

• Ozone. As a result, brown Au2O3 oxide is formed. Under normal conditions, the reaction is impossible; a large amount of concentrated ozone is needed.
• Gaseous fluorine, bromine, iodine, and chlorine also dissolve gold when heated. As a result of the process, fluoride AuF3, red chloride AuCl3, brown bromide AuBr3 and dark green iodide AuI3 are formed. Therefore, if you have gold-plated jewelry, it is better to avoid contact with iodine tincture. The precious metal is able to dissolve in liquid bromine, and it reacts with chlorine water at room temperature, forming HAuCl4.
• Gold also dissolves in concentrated hot selenic acid. During the reaction, the acid is reduced to selenium. Chemists write the procedure as follows: 2Au + 6H2SeO4 = Au2(SeO4)3 + 3H2Se03 + 3H20.
• To dissolve the precious metal, you need to add an oxidizing agent to hot sulfuric acid. Nitrate, permanganate, chromic acid, and manganese dioxide are used as oxidizing agents.
• The process can also be carried out using cyanides of alkali and alkaline earth metals. The reaction occurs even at normal temperature with access to oxygen. But as a result, the combination of gold and cyanide turns out to be very strong, so for industrial purposes the method is used to purify mined gold from ores. 4Au + 8KN + 2H2O + O2 = 4K[Au(CN)2] + 4KOH - this is what the reaction looks like. It was discovered and studied by the Russian scientist-engineer Bagration. The process was called cyanidation.
• There is also an anodic dissolution of gold in KOH alkali, in which the precious metal forms potassium aurate and an anodic precipitate.

The nobility of gold, from the point of view of modern chemistry, is still not as perfect as we would like. Of course, it is dangerous to carry out these reactions at home, but in laboratories and factories it is possible to observe them. These reactions make it possible to use raw materials in the form of gold more economically, as well as to make the precious metal purer. Before performing reactions, ensure that all reagents are prepared correctly and safety precautions are followed.

And in order to protect your gold product from negative reactions, it is better not to come into contact with iodine tincture. Jewelry with a lower precious metal composition should be especially protected from exposure to substances, since the ligature reacts faster to chemical reagents.

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Source: https://DedPodaril.com/zoloto/imform/rastvoriteli-zolota.html

Gold from radio components: extraction of valuable materials from microcircuits and electrical components

Many people, having a lot of radio components at their disposal, are trying to extract gold from them. After all, it has long been known that gold is the best conductor of electricity, so it is used in small quantities for the manufacture of various radio components. This is especially true for microcircuits, they contain a higher proportion of gold.

On the Internet there are various photos of gold mining from radio components, which depict the process and its results. There are several known methods, but let’s consider those that are suitable for home use.

How to identify gold

Separating gold from other metals in radioelements is not so easy; it is a long and dangerous process. The metal goes through a refining stage and is separated from impurities. Refining gold from radio components at home is possible if you follow all safety rules.

Anyone who decided to mine gold for the first time should know that after all the elements are dissolved in acid, one can only guess about the presence of the precious metal there. You won’t notice it visually; the result will be visible only after all procedures are completed.

What parts are best to extract gold from?

and the amount of gold in radio components is different; it is found in Soviet-made parts. It is rare in modern radio elements, especially for foreign products.

How to remove gold plating

It is worth noting that yellow-colored parts do not always contain gold. Many people want to know which radio components contain gold?

More often it is found in various microcircuits, as well as transistors, diodes, glass electrodes, and relays are also coated with it.

Before mining the precious metal, you need to prepare the correct proportions of reagents. Next, all gold-containing elements must be washed without leaving any traces of dirt.

The extraction procedure will have to be done with dangerous acids that pose a real threat to human life. Therefore, instructions for extracting gold from radio components begin with a safety rule.

What chemical to use

You can mine gold at home using aqua regia. Whoever hears this name for the first time may think that it is an alcoholic drink, but alcohol is not capable of dissolving metals.

Aqua regia consists of hydrochloric and nitric acids. To obtain it, you need to mix two reagents in a certain proportion. If you take a liter of concentrated nitrogen reagent and add up to 300 ml of hydrochloric acid to it, you will get aqua regia.

Gold extraction using acids must be carried out in glass containers. The preparation of the required solution should be carried out in a cold environment, which means that the dishes where the reagents are mixed should be placed in ice water. This procedure requires extreme caution and slowness. Next, the solution should be stirred slowly.

Metals can be dissolved in the resulting mixture by heating it to 60-70 degrees. Then you can place the radioelements into the liquid, but this should be done slowly, it is better not to shake it. To keep the solution clean longer, do not immerse foreign objects or dirty parts in it.

What are the dangers and results?

To extract gold from radio components with your own hands, you need to wait 6 hours until chemical processes dissolve all the elements. At this time, nitrogen oxide is rapidly released; it is a toxic yellow smoke that poses a serious danger to humans.

One breath of this gas can lead to loss of consciousness. Poor ventilation can result in death!

After dissolving the elements, you need to proceed to the following procedures.

The gold precipitate will not be visible in the liquid; the metals in it will dissolve to the state of molecules.

To assemble the precious metal into a single whole, we will use hydrazine. It is found in powder and liquid form. To complete the procedure, you need 250-300 grams; it is added to a container with aqua regia. The result should be a brown precipitate. Outwardly it looks like rust, if absent, no gold was used in the parts.

The solution is filtered, and the flakes are purified in aqua regia until the gold acquires its proper appearance.

Conclusion

In fact, there are several ways to refine gold from parts. The use of table salt rids the solution of nitric acid. Hydroquinone also reduces the loss of precious metal during its mining.

Photo of gold from radio components

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Source: http://sdelatlegko.ru/zoloto-iz-radiodetalej/