Gold Analysis by Bottle-Rolling Cyanidation Solvent Extracton/AAS: A First Test on Operational Procedures.

摘要

In the report procedures and experiences are noted down about Au analyses carried out at the UNZA School of Mines during the period November 1990 to January 1991. The method used was bottle-rolling of the samples in a cyanide solution, followed by solvent extraction, and measurement of the Au content in the organic solvent by atomic absorption spectrometry. This was the first time the method was tested at the School of Mines. Samples were obtained from AGIP MINING (ZAMBIA) ranging from soils to drill cores hard rock. Difficulties encountered were frothing during bottle rolling, emulsification/flocculation during extraction and separation, and calibration of the AAS instrument. Theoretical and practical considerations on distinguishing sample error from analytical error are given. The report tries to explain operational difficulties encountered, and the possible impact of those difficulties on analytical results in relation to discrepancies reported. It also gives some suggestions for further work and improvements.