How to Extract Gold from Computer RAM Trimmings?

TL;DR

To extract gold from RAM trimmings, soak them in a hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid mixture for a week, then filter out the solution to separate gold flakes. Further washing and the stannous chloride test confirm the presence of gold. However, the endeavor is often unprofitable due to high material costs versus low gold yield.

Transcript

another popular thing to process our Ram trimmings and I went ahead and bought about 200 of them for those who are familiar with what Ram looks like I provide an example here so you can see where the trimmings come from so just like with the other stuff we want to get the gold off of the RAM trimmings and to do this we soak them in the mixture of h... Read More

Key Insights

• 🏅 The process of extracting gold from RAM trimmings involves soaking them in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid for a week.
• 🏅 Filtration and washing steps are essential to separate the loose gold from the trimmings and remove any debris.
• 🏆 The stannous chloride test is used to confirm the presence of gold in the solution.
• 🏅 Sodium metabisulfite is employed to precipitate the gold from the gold solution through a color change and filtration.
• 🏅 The profitability of gold extraction depends on the cost of the materials and the market price of gold.
• 🏅 Gold extraction from RAM trimmings is generally not profitable at current costs.
• ⌛ The process can be time-consuming and requires careful handling of chemicals.

Questions & Answers

Q: How is gold extracted from RAM trimmings?

RAM trimmings are soaked in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid for a week, then filtered to separate the trimmings. Further washing and filtration steps are done to separate the loose gold from the trimmings.

Q: What is the purpose of the stannous chloride test?

The stannous chloride test is used to detect the presence of gold in a solution. It reacts with the gold solution to form a purple precipitate, indicating the presence of gold.

Q: Is gold extraction from RAM trimmings profitable?

The profitability of gold extraction from RAM trimmings depends on the cost of the trimmings and the market price of gold. In this case, the cost of RAM trimmings exceeds the market price of gold, making it not profitable.

Q: How is gold precipitated from the gold solution?

Sodium metabisulfite is added to the gold solution to precipitate the gold. The solution turns colorless, and black gold starts to precipitate out. The gold is then filtered and collected.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The content shows the process of extracting gold from RAM trimmings by soaking them in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid for a week and then separating the trimmings through filtration.

• Further washing and filtration steps are carried out to separate the loose gold from the trimmings, leading to the collection of a decent amount of gold.

• The content also includes the process of extracting gold from other PCBs and a demonstration of the stannous chloride test for the presence of gold.