Arizona Paper - The Liberty Bell Methods of Precipitate Refining

The Liberty Bell cyanide precipitate is unique in that it is apt to vary widely in composition in the course of very short periods of time, and a method of refining and melting that would prove highly satisfactory at one cleanup would yield7almost a hopeless "mess" at a second. Table I gives a general conception of the wide range in grade and composition of those raw precipitates. It is evident that no one standard flux could be expected to produce a high-grade bullion with such a widely variable precipitate, and that any method of treatment with acid requires most careful consideration. Refining by Acids Naturally, our first efforts to improve our precipitates were directed along the lines of acid treatment. Table II embodies the results of careful sampling and analysis of one cleanup at the time when wet refining reached its maximum development at this mill. We have now discarded all methods of wet refining, successfully replacing them by a more scientific method of flux calculation described herein, but it is believed that a general description of this wet refining is warranted as it throws some interesting side lights on acid refining in general. Table I.—Range of Composition of Raw Precipitates Per Cent. Gold and silver.................................... 25.0 to 75 Zinc.............................................. 18.0to 30 Lead............................................. 0.5 to 52 Copper........................................... 0.5 to 20 Silica............................................ 1.0 to 5 Calcium oxide...................................... 4.0 to 8 Sulphur.......................................... 0.5 to 8 Column A gives the analysis of the raw precipitate; column B, that of the precipitate after heating with steam, with frequent addition of hydrochloric acid until a point was reached where the batch had a strong tend-