EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY OF GOLD

1. Historical Introduction
Fathi Habashi
Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
Fathi.Habashi@arul.ulaval.ca

Gold has a special place among metals

It is the oldest metal exploited by man

It plays an important role in world economics
It caused wars and unprecedented mass migrations
It was responsible for creating many large cities
It is highly prized
It has been the inspiration of numerous myths
It was the ultimate goal of alchemists
It is stored in the vaults of banks
It is widely on display in oriental bazaars
It is generously used in decorating religious buildings.

That is why prospectors and

adventurers rush to the scene
as soon as news of a gold
discovery are rumoured.

GOLD
First

exploited by the ancient Egyptians

The basis of currency
Mass migrations to USA, Canada,
Australia, etc.
San Francisco, Johannesburg, Sydney,
Denver, etc.
An ounce costs $ 1800

 The

Golden Fleece
The alchemists transmutation of metals

In Banks

Oriental
bazaar

Gold in ancient world

Melting of gold

Beating of gold

Gold
foil

Gold and the alchemists

Gold occurred in nature in the native state and simple
panning was enough to collect the glittering particles,
and sometimes nuggets, which could readily be melted
to obtain an ingot.
However, since this required great patience and hard
work, the alchemists thought of a faster way:
transmutation of base metals into gold.
When an alchemist dipped a piece of iron into a solution
of copper vitriol, i.e., copper sulfate, the iron was
immediately covered by a layer of metallic copper.
This apparent transmutation of iron into copper is
represented in modern terms by the equation:
Cu2+ + Fe Cu + Fe2+

How can the transmutation of iron

or copper into gold be effected?
Gold, the most noble of all metals, was
insoluble in all acids and alkalies known at
that time.

Aqua Regia
It was the Arab alchemist
Jabir Ibn Hayyan (720-813
AD) who discovered that
a mixture of hydrochloric
and nitric acids can
dissolve the noble metal,
neither of which alone
can attack gold.
In modern terms the
action of the mixture is
due to chlorine and
nitrosyl chloride:
3HCl + HNO3 Cl2
+ NOCl + 2H2O

Amalgamation process
Ore
Water
Grinding
in Arrastres
NaCl + CuSO4
Mixing in Patio
Mercury
Amalgamation
in Patio
Water
Washing
in Lavaderos

Gangue slurry

Mercury + Amalgam
Squeezing
through canvas
Amalgam
Storage

Mercury

Distillation

Melting & Casting

Ingots

Mercury had the importance of

petroleum today because of its use
to extract gold and silver.
Gold and silver were used for
jewllery but also for minting coins
needed by the ruler.

The arrastra

Mixing in patio

10

Retorting

Stamp mill

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Amalgamation table

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Plattner process
Chlorine water or
bleaching powder
acidified with dilute
sulfuric acid were used
as early as 1848 to
leach gold from its ores;
the process was known
as the Plattner Process
after its inventor.
In this process, a
solution of AuCl3 was
obtained, from which
gold was precipitated
by ferrous sulfate or
activated charcoal.

Patera process
The Patera Process, was also
used at about the same time
especially for silver ores.
The ore was roasted with
sodium chloride to convert
silver to silver chloride, and was
then leached with water to
remove base-metal chlorides.
Sodium thiosulfate solution,
Na2S2O3, was then applied to
dissolve silver chloride in a way
similar to its use in developing a
photographic film.

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