A text-book of assaying

by C. Beringer; J. J. Beringer

But in the assay sufficient information is generally given by the first two of these.

A new pot having been taken and made hot in the furnace, 40 or 45 lbs. of the ore is weighed in (the mineral from the necessities of sampling not exceeding walnut size); 1 to 3 lbs. of salt cake is now added to render the separation of the resulting sulphide of iron more easy, as also to assist in the fusion of the gangue; 20 to 25 lbs. of tin-plate scrap, beaten more or less into ball shape, is weighed, placed on the top of the ore and salt cake, and the whole brought to a state of fusion. The foreman from time to time takes notice of the behaviour of the ore under the working conditions. Ores that manifest a tendency to "boil" or "froth " require the admixture of other more sluggish mineral in order to render their reduction economically practicable.

After 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours (the time depending mainly on the temperature), the contents of the crucible are usually in a state of tranquil fusion. The pot is now lifted from the fire, and its contents transferred to a conical iron mould, the empty pot being immediately put back into the fire, and the latter "mended" with sufficient coke for another run. The conical mould (when dealing with a "strange" ore, and the possibility of insufficient iron being present to satisfy the sulphur contents) is wiped inside with clay previous to pouring in the molten charge. Otherwise the mould itself will be attacked, and the contents after solidifying will require to be chiselled out piecemeal.

A further 40 lbs. of the ore is now charged into the crucible with iron as above; but before this second charge is ready to be drawn an inspection of the first may suggest the addition of either 3 or 5 lbs. more iron, or 5 or 10 lbs. more ore.

It is a good fault rather to aim at an excess of iron as tending to clean the ore from antimony, any of the latter that (from an insufficiency of iron) may be left in the slag from the first process being irretrievably lost; whereas, if the iron be in excess, that which is combined with the crude antimony resulting from the first process is easily got rid of by adding 3 to 5 lbs. or so of ore in the second process.

This latter, as practised for the determination of the value of a parcel of ore, consists in selecting two of the best quality singles, resulting from perhaps four or five trials as above, and running them down with a few pounds of salt cake, or a mixture of salt cake with American potash, and (as is generally necessary) a small addition of ore.

Upon the final result (confirmed perhaps on another pair of singles, and, judging from the total weight or output of the metal as calculated from the ore used in "singling," plus any added in the "doubling," the crystalline fracture and face of the metal, its colour, etc.) the price to be offered for the parcel of ore is fixed.

WET METHODS.

Detection.—The antimony, if any, being got into solution by treating the ore with hydrochloric acid or aqua regia may be detected by evaporating with hydrochloric acid, diluting, and filtering into the cover of a platinum crucible or (better) a platinum dish. A small lump of zinc is then added, and, if antimony is present, the dish will in a minute or so be stained black with a deposit of metallic antimony. This stain is removed by nitric, but not by hydrochloric, acid. The reaction is delicate and characteristic; arsenic under like conditions is evolved as arseniuretted hydrogen, and tin is deposited as metal on the zinc.

Solution.—Ores, &c., containing antimony are best opened up by boiling with hydrochloric acid or aqua regia; treatment with nitric acid should be avoided wherever possible, since it forms antimonic acid, which is subsequently dissolved only with difficulty. Salts of antimony in solution have a tendency to form insoluble basic salts; so that care must be exercised in diluting. Compounds such as antimonite which are soluble in hydrochloric should be dissolved at once in that acid.