US48499A - Henry wurtz - Google Patents
Henry wurtz Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US48499A US48499A US48499DA US48499A US 48499 A US48499 A US 48499A US 48499D A US48499D A US 48499DA US 48499 A US48499 A US 48499A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- quicksilver
- sodium
- iron
- amalgams
- magnetic
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron Chemical compound [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 64
- 229910000497 Amalgam Inorganic materials 0.000 description 50
- QSHDDOUJBYECFT-UHFFFAOYSA-N mercury Chemical compound [Hg] QSHDDOUJBYECFT-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 48
- 229910052708 sodium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 40
- 239000011734 sodium Substances 0.000 description 40
- KEAYESYHFKHZAL-UHFFFAOYSA-N sodium Chemical compound [Na] KEAYESYHFKHZAL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 38
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 36
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 36
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 description 32
- 238000005267 amalgamation Methods 0.000 description 18
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 18
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 10
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 10
- ZLMJMSJWJFRBEC-UHFFFAOYSA-N potassium Chemical compound [K] ZLMJMSJWJFRBEC-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 10
- 229910052700 potassium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 10
- 239000011591 potassium Substances 0.000 description 10
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 10
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 8
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 8
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 8
- PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N gold Chemical compound [Au] PCHJSUWPFVWCPO-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 8
- 229910052737 gold Inorganic materials 0.000 description 8
- 239000010931 gold Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000010970 precious metal Substances 0.000 description 8
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 8
- 238000007792 addition Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 6
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 6
- 239000003208 petroleum Substances 0.000 description 6
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 6
- BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N silver Chemical compound [Ag] BQCADISMDOOEFD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 6
- 229910052709 silver Inorganic materials 0.000 description 6
- 239000004332 silver Substances 0.000 description 6
- HEMHJVSKTPXQMS-UHFFFAOYSA-M sodium hydroxide Chemical compound [OH-].[Na+] HEMHJVSKTPXQMS-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 6
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 239000005864 Sulphur Substances 0.000 description 4
- RQNWIZPPADIBDY-UHFFFAOYSA-N arsenic Chemical compound [As] RQNWIZPPADIBDY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 229910052785 arsenic Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- ODINCKMPIJJUCX-UHFFFAOYSA-N calcium monoxide Chemical compound [Ca]=O ODINCKMPIJJUCX-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000011049 filling Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000005469 granulation Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000003179 granulation Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000000779 smoke Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000004575 stone Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000006467 substitution reaction Methods 0.000 description 4
- NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N sulfur Chemical compound [S] NINIDFKCEFEMDL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 4
- 241000430525 Aurinia saxatilis Species 0.000 description 2
- 239000004215 Carbon black (E152) Substances 0.000 description 2
- TVFDJXOCXUVLDH-UHFFFAOYSA-N Cesium Chemical compound [Cs] TVFDJXOCXUVLDH-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 235000001543 Corylus americana Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 240000007582 Corylus avellana Species 0.000 description 2
- 235000007466 Corylus avellana Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000003513 alkali Substances 0.000 description 2
- 125000004429 atoms Chemical group 0.000 description 2
- 229910052788 barium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- DSAJWYNOEDNPEQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N barium(0) Chemical compound [Ba] DSAJWYNOEDNPEQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- UHOVQNZJYSORNB-UHFFFAOYSA-N benzene Chemical compound C1=CC=CC=C1 UHOVQNZJYSORNB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000011449 brick Substances 0.000 description 2
- 229910052792 caesium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N calcium Chemical compound [Ca] OYPRJOBELJOOCE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052791 calcium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000011575 calcium Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000292 calcium oxide Substances 0.000 description 2
- 235000012255 calcium oxide Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 238000005266 casting Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000003795 chemical substances by application Substances 0.000 description 2
- 150000001875 compounds Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 230000002939 deleterious Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000994 depressed Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000007598 dipping method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 229910052571 earthenware Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 238000004880 explosion Methods 0.000 description 2
- 239000002360 explosive Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004744 fabric Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000003517 fume Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004519 grease Substances 0.000 description 2
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 238000007654 immersion Methods 0.000 description 2
- -1 lith= ium Chemical compound 0.000 description 2
- FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N magnesium Chemical compound [Mg] FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052749 magnesium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000011777 magnesium Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000007769 metal material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000006011 modification reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000003647 oxidation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000007254 oxidation reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 235000011837 pasties Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000011505 plaster Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000843 powder Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000002265 prevention Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000001105 regulatory Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000009877 rendering Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 description 2
- IGLNJRXAVVLDKE-UHFFFAOYSA-N rubidium Chemical compound [Rb] IGLNJRXAVVLDKE-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052701 rubidium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 150000003385 sodium Chemical class 0.000 description 2
- 235000011121 sodium hydroxide Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000003756 stirring Methods 0.000 description 2
- CIOAGBVUUVVLOB-UHFFFAOYSA-N strontium Chemical compound [Sr] CIOAGBVUUVVLOB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052712 strontium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N zinc Chemical compound [Zn] HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 229910052725 zinc Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000011701 zinc Substances 0.000 description 2
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
- C22B—PRODUCTION AND REFINING OF METALS; PRETREATMENT OF RAW MATERIALS
- C22B11/00—Obtaining noble metals
- C22B11/10—Obtaining noble metals by amalgamating
Definitions
- amalgam No. 1 As the compound becomes richer insodium, especially when amalgam No. 1 is being prepared, the temperature is very likely to become sufficiently depressed to cause the mass to become wholly or partially solidified. It is then necessary to apply a gentle and carefully-regulated heat during the addition of the remainder of the sodium. Finally, the amalgam must be kept melted for a short time, stirring with an iron rod or spoon until any lumps of hard amalgam which may have been formed have been caused to dissolve, jthus rendering the mass wholly uniform in composition. It may then be poured out upon a cold stone'to form it into a thin sheet, or may be cast into sticks, rods, or bullets in molds composed of glass, earthenware, soapstone, or other stone, plaster, or other non-metallic substance. These molds must never be made of iron or other metal, for reasons which will appear further on. When cold, these sticks, bullets, or sheets,
- the atoms of the quicksilver are, as it would seem, put into a polaric condition by a minute addition of one of those metals which range themselves toward the electro-positive end of the scale, so that its affinity for the more electro-negative metals is so greatly exalted that it seizes upon, and is absorbed by, their surfaces instantaneously, just as water is absorbed by a lump of sugar or other porous substance soluble in it.
- Such quicksilver even adheres strongly, unlike ordinary quicksilver, to surfaces of iron, and hence the objection to the use of iron molds in casting the amalgams. 4
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Materials Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Metallurgy (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
Description
I UNITED I STATES PATENT OF ICE.
HENRY WURTZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO wun'rzf AMALGAMA- TION COMPANY, or SAME PLACE. I
IMPROVEMENTS IN EXTRACTING GOLD AND OTHER. PRECIOUS METALS FRO MTHEIR lDRES, dc.
Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 48,499, dated June 27, 1865.
To all whom it may concern:
Be it known that'I, HENRY WUR'lZ, of N ew York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and improved method of extracting goldand other precious metalsfrom their ores and from other materials by amalgamation; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying specimens.
The nature of my invention consists in adding to the quicksilver used for the amalgamation of ores of gold, silver, or other precious metals,by any one of themethods in use, a minutejquantity of one or more of the highlyelectro-positive metals of the alkalies or alkaline earths-such as sodium, potassium, lith= ium, rubidium, caesium, barium,strontium, calcium, magnesium, or other metal of this class-- in practice sodium or potassium being preferred and used for the sake of economy.
To enable others skilled in the arts of working the ores of the precious metals to apply and use my inventi'on,I will proceed to describe my modes of preparation and operation.
In the preparation of amalgams ofsodium and potassium in quantities some care and precaution are requisite in consequence of the intense heat evolved duringthe union of these metals with quicksilvenwhichgives rise to an explosive evolution of quicksilver vapor. A deep iron vessel isthe best in which toeifect the union. Iuse for different purposes two amalgams containing different proportions of sodium,one containing one part of sodium to twenty-five or thirty parts of quicksilver, and the other not more than one part of sodium to fifty or sixty of quicksilver. The first amalgam, containing about three orfour per cent. by weight of sodium, is solid, brittle, and nearly as hard as cast zinc, while the second,con-
tainingabout two per cent. orlessof sodium,
is alsosolid, but in warm weather somewhat .pasty and plastic inits consistence.
For the purposes of my invention and for convenience of designation I call these two amalgams f magnetic amalgams Nos. 1 and 2, No. 1 being that one which contains not more than four per cent. of sodium and No. 2 that which contains not more than two per cent.
In the preparation of these magnetic amalgams a given quantity (say one ounce) of sodium is cut into pieces not larger than a hazel-nut. The requisite quantity (according as to which of the two amalgams is required) of quicksilver is then placed in an iron pot or other deep iron vessel and the fragments of sodium thrown one by one upon its surface, each one being touched or stirred about slightly, if necessary, with a glass rod or iron wire, the end of which has been dipped in water. Each fragment of sodium will amalgamate, under these circumstances, with a slight explosion. Care must be taken not to inhale the fumes whicharise during this operation, as they consist of a mixture of mercurial and caustic-soda smoke. As the compound becomes richer insodium, especially when amalgam No. 1 is being prepared, the temperature is very likely to become sufficiently depressed to cause the mass to become wholly or partially solidified. It is then necessary to apply a gentle and carefully-regulated heat during the addition of the remainder of the sodium. Finally, the amalgam must be kept melted for a short time, stirring with an iron rod or spoon until any lumps of hard amalgam which may have been formed have been caused to dissolve, jthus rendering the mass wholly uniform in composition. It may then be poured out upon a cold stone'to form it into a thin sheet, or may be cast into sticks, rods, or bullets in molds composed of glass, earthenware, soapstone, or other stone, plaster, or other non-metallic substance. These molds must never be made of iron or other metal, for reasons which will appear further on. When cold, these sticks, bullets, or sheets,
after being broken into pieces, may be preserved in a corked bottle.
In dry air these amalgams keep indefinitely without change, but dampness gradually impairs their value for my purposes. In very damp climates, therefore, it is well-to place in the same bottle with the amalgam a lump of dry quicklime,inclosed in a roomy bag made of stout paper or. of two thicknesses of fine linen cloth. This limewill keep the airof the interior of the bottle perfectly dry.
In some, cases itmay be found desirable to prevent all contact of air withthe amalgam by filling or partly filling the bottle containing it with deoxidized petroleum, benzole, or naphtha. Rectified petroleum or other liquid hydrocarbon is readily deoxidized and rendered suitable for this purpose by previous agitation with a'few thin slices of sodium until the latter is no longer tarnished, allowing to settle, and pouring off the clear liquid.
Another plan which I have used to protect these amalgams from moisture is to coat the sticks or fragments with paraffine by dipping them into this substance in a melted state. Under most circumstances, however, the amalgam No. lwill be found to require no further protection than being kept corked up, but in case of No. 2 additional protection may sometimes be desirable, the most reliable being immersion in rectified petroleum, deoxidized as described.
It is well for me to remark that the substitution for a portion of the sodium of some potassium communicates to these amalgams greater hardness and permanency.
I shall now proceed to describe those special and peculiar qualities of these magnetic amalgams which 1 have discovered, and which have led to my new applications of them in the arts of amalgamating the ores of the precious metals.
A quantity of one of them dissolved iuone hundred times its weight or more of quicksilver communicates to the whole a greatlyenhanced power of adhering to metals, and
. particularly to those which, like gold and silver, lie toward the negative end of the electrochemical scale. This power of adhesion in the case of these two metals is so great that the resistance which their surfaces when in the native state usually oppose to amalgamation, due to films of air or other substances which appear to adhere tenaciously to their surfaces, is instantly overcome, whether their particles be coarse, fine, or even impalpable. Even an artificial coating of oil or grease (which is such an enemy to amalgamation that the smoke from the miners lamps is pronounced by some tobe highly deleterious in gold and silver mines) forms not the slightest obstacle to instant amalgamation by this magnetic quicksilver. The atoms of the quicksilver are, as it would seem, put into a polaric condition by a minute addition of one of those metals which range themselves toward the electro-positive end of the scale, so that its affinity for the more electro-negative metals is so greatly exalted that it seizes upon, and is absorbed by, their surfaces instantaneously, just as water is absorbed by a lump of sugar or other porous substance soluble in it. Such quicksilver even adheres strongly, unlike ordinary quicksilver, to surfaces of iron, and hence the objection to the use of iron molds in casting the amalgams. 4
' My improvement in amalgamating methods consists simply in adding to the quicksilver used foramalgamation, from time to time, about one-hundredth part, more or less, of its weight of one of these magnetic amalgams. In wet processes of amal gamationforinstance, in the riffles of a sluiceI prefer to use the amalgam No. 1, which dissolves with great difficulty and slownessin the quicksilver, andtherefore keeps it in the magnetic condition for a long time in spite of the slow oxidation of the sodium by the water. In amalgamation processes in the dry way, in which a very minute quantity of sodium goes a great way, I prefer to use No. 2, which dissolves with much greater rapidity in the quicksilver. The frequency with which these additions of magnetic amalgam are to be made cannot be precisely specified, as it will depend on many circumstances, such as the temperature and other conditions of the water, the nature of the process used, 850.; but experience will easily furnish a guide in each individual case as to how often the additions are to be made. In a sluice and in many other cases the quicksilver can easily be tested at any time to ascertain whether it still retains the magnetic property by throwing into it a grain or two of gold-dust.
' In the common method of amalgamation by causing auriferous materials to pass over amalgamated plates of copper or other metal, a great economy is effected by using, in connection with the magnetic amalgam, iron platesinstead of copper. In this case the amalgam is best crushed to coarse powder and sprinkled from time to time ovcrthe amalgamated surface.
The power which these magnetic amalgams communicate to quicksilver, of coating or enfilming surfacesof iron,renders them of peculiar value in every form of arrastra, drag-mill, or other amalgamating apparatus which has internal surfaces of iron, such surfaces becoming coated with quicksilver, and thus immensely enlarging the surfaces of its contact with the particles of ore, and particularly with those particles of gold which are so fine as to remain suspended in the water.
Other valuable modifications arise out of this power of enfilming iron surfaces, such as the keeping of iron or steel surfaces which are used in crushing ores continually coated with quicksilver. Quicksilver possessed of the magnetic quality may be kept dropping or trickling upon the surfaces of crushin g-rollers, or in those forms of machinery in which heavy iron balls 7 are kept in motion rolling over the ore the surfaces of these balls may be kept enfilmed.
Another valuable quality communicated to quicksilver by these magnetic amalgams is a far greater cohesive attraction for its own particles. It is rendered more viscid, more difficult to divide mechanically, and when thus divided runs together again instantlyupon contact. 7 It follows that the granulation or flourin g of the quicksilverduringthe amalgamation of ores, which usually gives rise to so important a loss of this costly agent, is reduced to a minimum or altogether prevented.
It will be found desirable, as in all other cases where quicksilver is used and ores containing arsenic or sulphur operated upon, to remove as much as practicable of the arsenic or sulphur by previous roasting or other chemical treatment.
It is clear that these methods, while peculiarly fitted for the treatment of ores which contain metals in their native state, is also suitable for the extraction of metals from artificial or accidental mixtures, such as sweepings, old crucibles, bricks from furnaces, and chimneys, 85c. i
What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-
1. The combination, with quicksilver, when used for the extraction, by amalgamation, of metals from their ores or their mixtures with other materials, of metallic sodium or metallic potassium or-any other highly-electro-positive metal equivalent in its action thereto, as above set forth.
2. In those amalgamators in which amalgamated plates of copper or other metal are used, the substitution for the plates of copper or other metal of plates or surfaces of iron coated with quicksilver combined with sodium or other high 1 y-electro-positive metal, as above set forth.
3. The coating of iron, steel, or other metallic surfaces between or under which ores or other materials are crushed with quicksilver combined with sodium or other highlyelectropositive metal, asabove set forth. 4. The prevention of the granulation or flouring of quicksilver when used in any method of amalgamating ores or other materials by addition thereto of sodium or other high ly-electropositive metal, as above set forth.
HENRY WURTZ.
Witnesses JNo. S. HOLLINGSHEAD, J GEN S. HOLLINGSHEAD, Jr.
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US48499A true US48499A (en) | 1865-06-27 |
Family
ID=2118054
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US48499D Expired - Lifetime US48499A (en) | Henry wurtz |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US48499A (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USD405024S (en) * | 1996-06-14 | 1999-02-02 | Avi Katz | Gemstone |
US20040061820A1 (en) * | 2001-02-06 | 2004-04-01 | Fujitsu Limited | Liquid crystal display device and liquid crystal orientation method |
-
0
- US US48499D patent/US48499A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USD405024S (en) * | 1996-06-14 | 1999-02-02 | Avi Katz | Gemstone |
US20040061820A1 (en) * | 2001-02-06 | 2004-04-01 | Fujitsu Limited | Liquid crystal display device and liquid crystal orientation method |
US20040061822A1 (en) * | 2001-02-06 | 2004-04-01 | Fujitsu Display Technologies Corporation | Liquid crystal display device and liquid crystal orientation method |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
Rose | The metallurgy of gold | |
US10107551B2 (en) | Preparation of samples for XRF using flux and platinum crucible | |
US588476A (en) | Of denver | |
US48499A (en) | Henry wurtz | |
US1231349A (en) | Process of treating slags. | |
US447344A (en) | Process of preparing ores for amalgamation | |
US553115A (en) | Reff galbraith | |
JPH0820829A (en) | Method for melting copper or copper alloy having low sulfur content | |
US2698230A (en) | Magnesium base alloys containing zirconium | |
US1072209A (en) | Process of extracting zinc from residues containing zinc, especially slags, in reverberatory furnaces. | |
US75289A (en) | Improved peooess op treating gold-bullion to toughen and refine it | |
US1014946A (en) | Alloy for coating with metal. | |
US466820A (en) | Battery-zinc and method of making the same | |
US1092936A (en) | Process for purifying aluminum and its alloys. | |
Lodge | Notes on assaying and metallurgical laboratory experiments | |
US646808A (en) | Method of extracting gold and silver from their ores. | |
US389161A (en) | Theodoee michaut | |
US514958A (en) | Composition for silver-plating | |
US394091A (en) | William augustus baldwin | |
US46909A (en) | Improved process for separating gold and silver from mineral and earthy substances | |
US399010A (en) | William brandreth | |
US982218A (en) | Process of making aluminum and copper alloys. | |
US92009A (en) | Improved process of roasting- auriferous stjlphitrets | |
US1060527A (en) | Process of extracting tin from base bullion. | |
US44986A (en) | Egbert spencer |