Everything About Scrap Gold and Gold Refining

Gold is used in many electronic applications such as computer chips and medical equipment and dentistry. It may be relatively easy to come across amounts of impure gold or gold that is mixed with other metals ( such as scrap gold jewelry) but how do you purify it so you just have 100% pure gold - this article describes one of the processes for doing this.

This process is only for gold refining and not specifically for gold recovery from electrical equipment.

First of all you need to weigh how much raw or unrefined gold you have. Once you know this get a plastic (not metal ) container - a regular 5 gallon bucket is good, then for every ounce of unrefined gold pour in 1-2 fluid ounces of nitric acid and allow to sit for 30 minutes to one hour.

Next add 4-6 fluid ounces of muriatic or hydrochloric acid to your solutions per ounce of unrefined gold. This process completely dissolves all gold into the liquid. The acid reacts with the gold and other materials and will most likely turn a brownish color and may give off heat. You should allow this liquid to stand for at least a couple of hours. Please remember that both nitric acid and hydrochloric acid are very corrosive and you should take precautions such as wearing gloves and eye goggles to protect yourself. The dissolving process may also give off noxious gases so make sure you are in a well ventilated area or wearing a suitable mask for protection.

Once you are sure that all the solid has dissolved then you need to filter the liquid. you can do this by pouring the liquid carefully into another container through a coffee filter placed in a funnel. Do this very slowly and carefully as the liquid is still corrosive and it contains your gold and you don't want to lose any of this.

The filtered liquid should be a strong green color. If it appears cloudy or has particles floating in it  then you may need to filter it again until the liquid becomes clear.Once this is done then add some urea to the acid liquid little by little. It should react by fizzing - keep on adding the urea until the liquid does not fizz anymore.

Once the liquid has stopped fizzing you need to add precipitant to the acid liquid to extract the pure gold. You need roughly 1.5 spoonfuls of precipitant for every ounce of metal dissolved so remember how important it is to weigh out what you dissolved in the first place. Add the precipitant to a clean bucket and then add the clear green acid solution. The precipitant and the acid will react forming a muddy solution and the mud  should sink to the bottom. This mud is your pure gold! To find out  whether you have extracted all the gold from the acid liquid - use a gold detection liquid to see if there is still any gold left in the liquid - if there is any gold in the acid still the gold detection liquid will turn purple brown. If there is still gold in the liquid then add more precipitant.

The acid should now be a clear green or orangey color with mud sunk to the bottom of the container. Drain off the acid into another container leaving only the mud. When the acid has been drained off add 2 or 3 gallons of water to the mud then pour off the water making sure you dont pour off any of the mud. Rinsing ensures the high purity of the gold. Test the mud with aqua ammonia for the purity of the gold. If it turns blue then you need to keep rinsing. Give a final rinse with distilled water.

Once you are certain of the purity of the gold then you have your mud or powder. You can melt the powder and you will then have your pure gold.

Once again please remember to exercise caution and utmost care when using these acids as they give off noxious fumes and are corrosive. I am writing this article as a keen amateur - and therefore this is not professional advice. If you are uncertain then please seek professional help. Good luck!!