Recovering gold from electronics
General public are repeatedly amazed to memorize how still precious metal is irrevocable whenever they hurl absent their elderly electronic devices. Gold, silver, platinum and palladium can all be recovered from circuits and processors of electronics. Of all the precious metals, gold is the one most Often recovered and distilled from electronics. Although it is doable to melt the gold plating absent from the circuitry, you Testament aim else of a mess and lose some of the precious metal. The most capable course to reclaim gold from scrap components is to appliance a mechanism referred to as reverse electroplating.
Instructions
1. Originate by obtaining as many scrap electronics components to reclaim gold from. Generally speaking, older electronics endeavor greater thanks to enhanced manufacturing processes utilize less gold than older electronics, so an enfeebled 386 or 486 pc, For instance, contains amassed gold than a fashionable machine. Out of date analog cell phones as well comprehend expanded precious metal than newer digital phones.5. Fix up your competency source so that it Testament be ready to be connected. Holding two pieces of wire and strip approximately an inch of insulation off of the ends with a span of wire strippers.
On Everyone group of wire, connect a small alligator clip to one end of the wire. Connect the other end of the wire to a 9- or 12-volt battery. Use the large square batteries with spring-like posts on top.
Prepare yourself for working with chemicals. You Testament be using one chemical modus operandi to remove the gold plating and another chemical development to filter the gold to pure 24k great gold. Working with chemicals wealth bewitching safety precautions to prevent chemical burns and to block gone poisonous fumes. You should wear a rubber apron and thick rubber gloves any extent you are handling chemicals. You should further wear a respiratory mask coincident to what asbestos workers wear and a face shield to protect against splashing.
4. Cause an electrolyte for your reverse electroplating modus operandi. The electrolyte is a notion that acts as a chemical bath for your precious metal, extremely as a conductor of electricity. Constitute the electrolyte by pouring a concoction of 70 percent sodium cyanide (NaCN), 15 percent sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 15 percent sodium meta nitro benzene sulphonate. Carefully pour these ingredients into a glass chemistry beaker and stir them with a glass withy.
Sure, dissimilar electronics further keep gold that can be processed, nevertheless never turn gone elderly Accoutrement.2. Decrease all of the gold-plated components gone of the electronics. You effect not desire to squander your hour treating the comprehensive motherboard of a machine when all of the gold is plated on the connector pins, processors and or chips. Shorten all of the gold-plated components off the succession boards. Cook not toss the boards out though, owing to there is even silver and other precious metals you may longing to reclaim closest.3. Connect one wire to the negative post and one wire to the positive post.
6. Prepare the anode. Take the wire that is connected to the positive post on the battery. Clip the alligator clip from that wire onto the gold plated scrap from your electronics. You may only be able to do small amounts at a time, but you can keep everything running in a continuous cycle for as long as the battery still has power. Once the alligator clip is connected to the electronics scrap, drop the scrap into your beaker of electrolyte solution.
7. Prepare the cathode. The remaining wire is attached to the negative terminal on the battery. Attach the alligator clip from this wire onto a piece of stainless steel. It will be easier to work with if the steel is in a cylinder shaped rod, shaped like a pencil, but any piece of stainless steel will work fine. Once the steel has been attached to the alligator clip, lower it into the solution. Your electric circuit is not active.
8. Wait it out. The battery will be charging your electronics scrap with a positive charge and the stainless steel with a negative charge. The electrolyte solution you made will dissolve the gold from the scrap, and the positive charge in the gold will cause it to attract to the negatively charged steel. All of the gold in the electronics scrap will form onto the steel, where it can be peeled off and set aside until you have enough to refine.
9. Mix a refining solution. Although you have recovered the gold from the electronics scrap, it may not be pure gold. It may be 12k or 18k gold, so now we will refine it to be pure 24k fine gold. Take a second beaker and pour it half full of Aqua Regina. Be very careful. Aqua Regina will burn through human tissue, so wear thick rubber gloves and take proper safety precautions.
10. Refine the gold. Drop the gold into the Aqua Regina, then fill the beaker remainder of the way with sodium meta bisulphite. This solution will eat away any copper or other metals that may have been smelted into the gold when it was manufactured. The remaining gold substance will collect in the bottom of the beaker and will be pure 24k gold.
11. Recover the pure gold. Drain your refining solution into a glass storage container for future use. Allow any remaining chemicals to evaporate off of the gold, then wash the gold thoroughly with water. Now you have successfully refined gold from electronics scrap.
