Due to its electrical properties, gold is widely used in modern electronics. And, if desired, it can be removed from the boards. However, it should be remembered that the use of chemical reagents by people who do not have special knowledge and experience can lead to the most sad consequences. In addition, home extraction of gold is labor intensive and economically disadvantageous.
Necessary
- - pliers;
- - slotted screwdriver;
- - crosshead screwdriver;
- - nippers;
- - cutter;
- - old motherboards;
- - 95% sulfuric acid;
- - copper;
- - lead;
- - battery charger;
- - capacity for electrolysis;
- - flasks;
- - paper filters;
- - 35% hydrochloric acid;
- - 5% chlorine bleach;
- - sodium metabisulfite.
Instructions
Step 1
Disconnect all connectors and pins containing gold. You should be aware that quite a few elements of motherboards are covered with a thin layer of this precious metal: PCI Express, AGP, PCI, ISA slots, IDE connectors, processor socket and DIMM slots.
Step 2
Make an electrolyte bath. Make an anode and a cathode. The anode should be made of copper, and its shape should allow you to connect your raw material to it. For example, you can make it in the form of a basket. The cathode is made of lead. Pour concentrated sulfuric acid into a suitable laboratory container. Plug in the charger and run an electric current through the bath. In this case, copper on the raw material will dissolve and settle on the cathode, and gold forms a precipitate at the bottom of the bath. It should be remembered that during the electrolysis process, the temperature of the solution in the bath rises greatly.
Step 3
Allow the solution to cool and settle. Gently drain as much sulfuric acid as possible into a prepared container.
Step 4
Pour the remaining sediment carefully into a flask of water. It should be remembered that it is extremely dangerous to pour water into acid - the acid may splash. Therefore, it is the acid that is always poured into the water, and not vice versa. Filter this solution using suitable filter paper.
Step 5
Divide the resulting solution into its constituents using a mixture of 35% hydrochloric acid solution and 5% chlorine bleach, taken in a 2: 1 ratio. It should be remembered that this reaction takes place with the release of chlorine, which is a very dangerous element. Therefore, it should be carried out very carefully.
Step 6
Filter the resulting solution again. As a result of this filtration, all impurities will be collected in the filter, leaving only gold chloride.
Step 7
Take sodium metabisulfite powder and mix it with water. As a result of this reaction, you will receive sodium bisulfite.
Step 8
Separate the gold into the sediment with sodium bisulfite. Let the solution stand. The gray sediment at the bottom of the container is metallic gold.
Step 9
Melt the powder in a crucible using an oxy-butane torch. It should be remembered that the melting point of gold is -1064 degrees.
