The extraction of gold(III) from nitric acid medium

The extraction of gold(III) from nitric acid solutions by means of oxygen-containing solvents (di-isopropyl, diethyl and dichloroethyl ethers, methyl isobutyl and methyl isopropyl ketones, n-amyl acetate and n-amyl alcohol) is described. The most effective of these extractants are di-isopropyl ether (in the range 5.5–10 M nitric acid) and diethyl ether (4–10 M nitric acid). In both cases, maximum extraction is ca. 95% in a single pass. Salting-out agents (ammonium, magnesium and aluminum nitrates) have little effect on the extraction of gold(III) with di-isopropyl ether. Uranium(VI), thorium(IV), cerium(IV) and chromium(VI) are extracted to different degrees with di-isopropyl ether under the optimal conditions for gold (7 M nitric acid). The method for extracting gold from strong nitric acid medium with di-isopropyl ether is applied in the analysis of anode copper and copper concentrate.