Abstract

With the atomic number 79 and the symbol Au (derived from the Latin aurum, "gold"), gold is a chemical element. This places it among the naturally occurring elements with higher atomic numbers. In its purest state, it is a vivid, slightly orange-yellow, thick, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Aurum is a group 11 element and a transition metal in terms of chemistry. One of the least reactive chemical elements, it solidifies under normal circumstances. In rocks, veins, and alluvial deposits, gold frequently exists in its free elemental (native state), as nuggets or grains. It can be found naturally alloyed with other metals like copper and palladium, in mineral inclusions like pyrite, and in solid solution series with the native element silver (as in electrum). Less frequently, it appears as gold compounds in minerals, frequently with tellurium (gold tellurides). The gold alloys are inquarted with silver, compounded with lead and cupelled in a cupellation furnace until a precious metal button is obtained. After flattening and rolling, the silver is extracted (parted) in nitric acid and the gold weighed. Possible systematic errors in the procedure are eliminated by assaying standard proof samples in parallel. In this paper a review on aurum extraction from alloy has been presented.