Turning old jewelry into pure gold bars

TL;DR

A YouTuber extracts gold from jewelry sent by a patron, using a series of chemical tests and procedures.

Transcript

a few months ago a patron of mine contacted me because he saw one of my old videos where I separated gold from computer parts he was wondering if I could do a video like that again except on jewelry and he wanted to send me some gold covered chains and an old Rolex he had no idea how much gold was actually in any of it but he was pretty sure there ... Read More

Key Insights

• 😒 The use of nitric acid was crucial in determining the purity of the gold and identifying other metals present in the jewelry.
• 👻 The process of inquartation allowed the gold to be separated from the other metals by decreasing its resistance to nitric acid.
• 🏅 The YouTuber utilized various chemical reactions and reactions in combination to extract and purify the gold effectively.
• 🏅 The gold extraction process required caution, proper ventilation due to toxic fumes, and adherence to safety measures.
• 🏅 The YouTuber's expertise and knowledge of the gold extraction process enabled successful extraction, resulting in a significant amount of gold recovered.
• 📤 X-ray fluorescence testing can sometimes mistake tungsten for gold due to overlapping peaks, leading to inaccurate purity results.
• 🤢 The YouTuber's use of borax and a graphite mold facilitated the melting and molding of the extracted gold into solid bars.
• 👍 The extracted gold, although malleable, proved tougher than expected, highlighting the need for alloying to increase its durability for jewelry-making.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the YouTuber determine the purity of the gold in the chains?

The YouTuber used nitric acid to test the chains. Gold with higher karats is less reactive with the acid, while lower karat gold reacts more quickly. The acid's reaction helped determine the purity of the gold in the chains.

Q: What other metals were found in the gold-covered chains?

Apart from gold, the chains contained copper and silver. The presence of copper was detected through a color change when reacting with nitric acid, and the presence of silver was confirmed through additional chemical tests.

Q: How did the YouTuber separate the gold from the other metals?

The YouTuber used a process called "inquartation" to dilute the gold and mix it with copper. This allowed the gold to lose its ability to resist nitric acid's reaction, making it easier to separate the gold from the other metals.

Q: How did the YouTuber purify the gold after extraction?

The YouTuber washed the gold alloy with boiling distilled water multiple times to remove any impurities. Subsequently, the gold was treated with a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid (aqua regia) to dissolve remaining metals. The gold was then washed again to remove any remaining contaminants.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The YouTuber receives gold-covered chains and an old Rolex from a patron, unsure of the actual gold content.

• Through testing with nitric acid, the YouTuber determines the purity of the gold in the chains and finds additional metals, such as copper and silver.

• The YouTuber separates the gold from the other metals, purifies it, and melts it into gold bars for further use.