GOLD EXTRACTION FROM THIOSULFATE SOLUTIONS USING MIXED AMINES

ABSTRACT

The extraction of gold from thiosulfate solutions with amine oxide and its mixture with amines has been studied, the results show that the amine oxide (TRAO) has a higher extraction ability for gold compared with tertiary amine. It can extract gold from neutral and weakly alkaline thiosulfate solutions, similar to the primary amine as extractant. The addition of TRAO enhances the extent of gold extraction with primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl amines, respectively. The stoichiometry for the extraction of gold from thiosulfate solutions using the mixed solvent containing the primary amine N₁₉₂₃ and the amine oxide TRAO was investigated using slope analysis. The compositions of the gold extraction species with mixed organic solvents are proposed.

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Notes on contributors

Jin Zhao

Present address: Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084.

Jiayong(Chiayung) Chen

Corresponding author. Fax: [phone].