Basement chemistry for the prospector
Welcome Prospectors!
Due to numerous requests (and because I am tired of posting these documents on forums repeatedly), I am making this information availible to the masses on the web. In the process, I hope to expose a lot of the crap that passes for manufacturing secrets touted by various outfits currently advertising in trade mags, papers and on the web. Almost as onerous is the knee-jerk reaction of some otherwise intelligent persons when words like mercury and cyanide are mentioned in the context of mining (usually translated as the raping of mother earth). With a little common sense and attention to detail anyone can use chemicals to recover metals in complete safety. It is the de-mystification of some basic chemistry to which this page is dedicated. Hoo-Rah.
Follow the link above to read more. Goldfeverprospecting advocates and prefers only mechanical separation of gold and is not responsible for the info contained in this guide and does not warrant its safety or efficacy. Information is provided only as a courtesy to the curious. Users are advised to use all appropriate caution.
Basement chemistry for the prospector
Some of the topics covered include:
Here is some info on The Basement aspects of Cyanide Extraction
Cyanide Leaching
If Cyanide scares you too bad, here is how you can do the same thing with halides
Halide Leaching and Recovery
Ever have trouble using charged mercury? Hate paying for it? This will solve both problems.
All About Mercury
Recognize and extract metals from ore using a few common techniques.
Black Sand, Tellurides and Sulfides
An overview of assaying and smelting techniques.
Assaying and Smelting
Advanced techniques of quantitative analysis.
Colorimetric Assay of Gold
How to determine the concentration of cyanide in solution
Determination of Free Cyanide in Solution
Common sense information and precautions on the use of acids and bases in mining.
Acids and Bases
Clorox: What it is and how to make it
Super Clorox
Info on some freinds you might make down at the river
Snakes of Central America
The difference between
Melting and Smelting
A short primer on dissolving common compounds.
Rules of Solubility
Advanced filtering techniques
Filtering
Weights and Measures (Or: Why the why the English System Sucks)
Weights and Measures
About the Author
The author grew up on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia where he received a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degree in microbiology. He won a two year post-doctoral fellowship to The Oak Ridge National Laboratories where he pursued studies in molecular biology. These studies, primarily, involved research on de novo synthesis of protein and genetic coding of DNA.
He served as chief of the Aquatic Ecology Section of the Southeastern Water Pollution Laboratory (now EPA). He also worked (regrettably) at the Richard B, Russell Agricultural Research Laboratory. When the crap got too deep he told them to shove it up their --- "trasero" and quit.
The last 16 years have been spent pursuing more mundane but more enjoyable interests in Central America, namely, gold mining, treasure hunting, and whatever else turns him on at the moment. He has learned a great deal of practical metallurgy of gold and other precious metals by study and by operating a small assay laboratory.
