SEPARATION OF GOLD FROM QUARTZ.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 56, 25 February 1870, Page 3

SEPARATION OF GOLD FROM QUARTZ.

A short time ago a lecture was delivered in Ballarat, ,on the use of caustic soda in.the separation of gold from quartz. . The .experiment Was afterwards., tried ..at the Thames, the result' being narrated in the ' Times' as* fol-' lows :- .. \r r

" The attention of certain gentlemen interested ; in,, mining matters at the Thames, arrested on reading an article oh. f the.separation of, gold from quartz, t ancL ~av ifpw experiments were tried, under <Mfficulties at first, L one of

which "Was that the caustic soda had to be manufactured on the spot, which completely corroborated the statements made by Mr. Shires, and it is.strongly recommended to machine owners to give it a trial.

, "Our own experiment was in a small berdan, and the effect was really magical in cases where mundic was almost the larger part of the stone, and where, on previous occasions, it had been almost impossible _to amalgamate the gold. On adding the solution of caustic soda, the amalgamation of the free gold was effected at once.

" Its good effect was especially seen at the cleaning up, when, instead of the pan containing a considerable quantity of a drossy mixture of mundic and silver, it was found to be quite smooth and clear, and little difficulty was met with in washing off the remaining loose mundic and sand.

" Our modus operandi was simply to have a large tank containing sufficientwater for the time that the berdan was in use containing the soda in solution, and communicating with the berdan by means of a pipe or stopcock. In a battery, of course some other means. w6uld have to be ma.de use of, and we. think that it would be a matter of small difficulty to have a : somewhat similar arrangement. For instance, the solution of caustic soda might be contained in a; tank to itself, independent of the water supply, and might be supplied by means of a. pipe and tap communicating with the trough in front of the stamper box, the amount of solution required would thus be completely at the command "of the amalgamator.".