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Learn about one of the earliest precious metal refining techniques and how it works: gold parting via salt cementation.
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Salt Cementation & Gold Extraction
An ancient refining technique that separates silver and gold
Gold as it Naturally Occurs
• As any professional miner could tell you, gold rarely appears in its pure form under the earth’s crust.
• During excavation, gold is usually found with silver – forming an alloy known as electrum.• Gold and silver share a lot of chemical similarities, so
they alloy together easily.
Separating Gold and Silver
• In ancient times, people needed a way to standardize the purity of thegold and silver they were using for currency. • Alloys with variable amounts of gold,
silver, and could not hold up to circulation.
• As a result, one of the earliest precious metal refining techniques was created: gold parting via salt cementation.
Ingredients for Salt Cementation• Modern precious metal refining is a sophisticated
science, but salt cementation is relatively easy.
• The tools required for the process include:• Gold/silver alloy• Burnt clay or old brick dust • Salt • Urine (bear with us, please – this is a very antiquated
refining technique)
Gold Parting Via Salt Cementation• Once all the ingredients are heated in a sealed jar,
the gold purity vastly improves within 24 hours – usually greater than 18k.
• The recipe for salt cementation sounds like a random hodgepodge of junk, but it’s a complex chemical reaction.
The Process
• When heated in the presence of silica and alumina (found in the clay/brick dust), salt breaks down to form hydrochloric acid and chlorine. • Remember the urine (who could forget)? The acidity
from urine helps the above reaction happen faster.
• The hydrochloric acid interacts with the silver in the alloy to create silver chloride, which separates from the gold. • This reaction is quite volatile, which is why the container
needs to be sealed.
The Results
• Now that the two elements areseparated, you’re left with pure gold.• The silver chloride can be
recaptured and converted back into elemental silver.
• This ancient technique is no longer widely used, but it was important for early civilizations to create pure gold for trade and craft.
About MGS
Manhattan Gold & Silver (MGS) is a precious metals refiner that has been based in Manhattan’s historic Diamond District since 1985. We are a B2B company that buys and recycles precious metal scraps that accumulate in other businesses. We serve:
• Jewelers• Pawnbrokers• Dentists• The industrial sector• Antique dealers• Machinists • Domestic mining• And more!
• MGS also creates charts, calculators, and other online tools for our customers to use.• Try our Precious Metals Prices app, which lets you monitor the real-time precious metals
market situation from anywhere, right from your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.
Recycle your Precious Metals for Profit• MGS accepts gold, silver, platinum, and palladium.
• Payouts are based on the London Fixing.
• Up to 99% payout (among the highest in the US)• Up to 98.5% for gold brought in for hand testing.
• Not in NYC? Ship us your precious metals using our Ship & Sell service which offers:• Same day wired payment (once lot is received)• Discounted, insured shipping• Payout calculator
Connect with MGS
• For amazing facts, history and news, read our gold and precious metals blog.
• Join the conversation about precious metals on the MGS page on Facebook.
• Follow gold, silver, and other precious metal trends at the MGS Twitter account.
• Circle MGS on Google+ to hear our latest updates.
• If you do business with us, connect with us on the MGS LinkedIn page.
• To see precious metal melting and refinement in action, visit the MGS YouTube channel.
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