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Topic: Harvesting gold from electronics  (Read 2620 times)

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Offline maxvortex

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Harvesting gold from electronics
« on: June 02, 2014, 10:02:57 AM »
I can not help myself but to try this :-)
I have bunch of electronics part so i can give a go.
On YT people are using some acids to make this but i was thinking that maybe there is some other way.

So, if i "destroy" cca 100 chips i will get sand, metal parts and something else.

My question would be:
What would happen if I super heat and melt this chips in some graphite container ? When in this melting state, would the gold bind together and separate from other ingredients or not ?. Yea, it has no real chemistry in it but am curious what would happen.

Max

Offline Zyklonb

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Re: Harvesting gold from electronics
« Reply #1 on: June 02, 2014, 11:56:28 AM »
Quote
So, if i "destroy" cca 100 chips i will get sand, metal parts and something else.
Sand? Why would you get sand? Silicon dioxide you mean? Still don't know why you'd get that.
And really? Metal? "Oh yeah you'll get sand, gold and just regular old metal". /[sarcasm] Seriously, what metal? 
Quote
What would happen if I super heat and melt this chips in some graphite container ? When in this melting state, would the gold bind together and separate from other ingredients or not ?. Yea, it has no real chemistry in it but am curious what would happen.
 
What other metals are in your chips? Either way this wont work, gold will alloy. If you can't get simple acids like HCl (aq), HNO3 ect then gold refining isn't for you. You need acids.

Offline Arkcon

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Re: Harvesting gold from electronics
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2014, 12:40:30 PM »
Like Zyklonb: said, you won't be able to find the traces of gold used in electronics among the other products unless you use acids.  There is a selective method of collecting gold form ores called cuppelation.  But that is more of an ancient analytical technique, than a purification method.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupellation
Hey, I'm not judging.  I just like to shoot straight.  I'm a man of science.

Offline Borek

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Re: Harvesting gold from electronics
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2014, 02:02:14 PM »
Technically - aeration and cyanides are enough to dissolve gold, no need for acids.
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