These should be mixed, placed in a suitable crucible (a G Battersea, round, will do), and heated, at first at a red heat, but finally much hotter, so as to get a fluid and clean slag. When the charge has been in tranquil fusion for some little time, take it out and pour it into an iron mould. When cold, detach the button of lead. The slag should be glassy, all through alike, and easily separable from the metal. With ordinary ores, this slag may be considered as free from gold. In an experiment in which 90 milligrams of gold were added, the full amount was obtained from the lead produced by the first fusion. But in certain cases, more especially where large amounts of metallic oxides are present, the slag is not so clean, and with these the slag should be powdered, mixed with 40 grams of litharge and 4 of flour, and melted again; it is an advantage to add a small prill of say 2 or 3 milligrams of silver to the charge, as it insures a visible product in the cupellation. Indeed, this last precaution is a good one to be taken wherever there is reason to expect very small buttons. It has the further advantage, that, if the quantity of silver necessary for inquartation is known, the right quantity may be added here, so as to save a subsequent operation.
Ores containing Oxides of Iron.—Of the metallic oxides likely to be present in a slag, oxide of iron is the most important. Gold is occasionally found in a matrix of this substance, and in the assay of "concentrates" largely made up of pyrites, this oxide will be formed in the preliminary calcination. Now, the lower oxide of iron (ferrous oxide, FeO) is easy to deal with; fused borax will dissolve about its own weight of it, and a silicate of soda (such as makes up the bulk of a slag in a gold assay) will take up at least half as much. But the higher oxide (ferric oxide, Fe2O3) is more refractory; even 6 parts of borax yields a poor product, and slags with any considerable percentage of it are not satisfactory. A student attempting to recover gold from some hæmatite (in which there was about half an ounce of the metal), found in the slag nearly a gram of gold, although in the first fusion the slag appeared perfectly fluid. There is, however, no difficulty in getting good slags, even with large quantities of iron. For example, with 50 grams of ferric oxide, 10 of quartz, 30 of borax, 30 of soda,[22] 50 of litharge, and 7 of flour, the result was quite satisfactory. So, too, was 25 of quartz, 50 of soda, 50 of litharge, and 7 of flour. It is well, however, in such cases to have an ample proportion of flux and to aim at a larger button of lead than usual by increasing the proportion of flour or charcoal (see also page 91). A charge used on the Randt for roasted "concentrates" (which we may roughly speak of as quartz and ferric oxide), is one assay ton (about 30 grams) each of ore, soda, and borax, and one and a half assay ton of litharge and 2 grams of charcoal. Whilst, for the same material, from which most of the gold has been extracted by "chloridising," 2.5 tons each of ore, borax, and soda, 4 of litharge, and 4 grams of charcoal are needed. This quantity requires a large crucible (I Battersea, round). In this the proportion of silicate of soda and borax counted together is to the oxide of iron as 4 to 1, on the supposition that the quartz and oxide of iron of the ore are in about equal quantities; but, in the larger charge especially, much oxide of lead would also remain as a flux.
Ores containing Sulphides.—In assaying ores containing a large proportion of pyrites or mispickel, or both, the best plan is to take a portion and calcine so as to convert it into a product of the kind just considered. The weighed portion of ore should be placed in a clean crucible and be heated to incipient redness: with pyrites the first effect is to drive off about half the sulphur as vapour which burns as flame over the ore. At this stage care should be taken that there is no great increase of temperature, otherwise there may be more or less fusion, which would spoil the operation. When the sulphur flame ceases the solid sulphide of iron burns with visible incandescence and the charge should now be stirred with a flattened iron rod so as to expose fresh portions to the air. The top of the furnace must be open, so that air may have free access to the crucible. When stirring is no longer followed by visible burning the heat may be raised to full redness. The crucible is then lifted out (the stirrer still resting in it) and if the charge gives off no odour of burning sulphur it is shaken out into an iron mortar and mixed with the fluxes, taking care to clean the stirrer in the mixture. The charge is then replaced in the crucible in which the roasting was done and fused in the furnace. The resulting button of lead is cupelled for fine metal. Ores rich in sulphides requiring this treatment are frequently "concentrates." For their assay take 1 assay ton (30 grams), calcine and mix with an equal weight of soda and of borax (30 grams each), and half as much again of litharge (1.5 tons or 45 grams), and with 2 grams of charcoal or 5 grams of flour.
Where the sulphides are present in smaller proportion (10 per cent. or less), they may be taken as serving the purpose of flour or charcoal (see page 95); the sulphur and iron are oxidised at the expense of the litharge with a consequent separation of lead as metal. If the proportion of sulphides is not sufficient to give a large enough button of lead, some charcoal or flour should be added. On the other hand, if they are in small excess and give a button of lead somewhat sulphury, i.e., hard and brittle, it may be remedied by the judicious addition of nitre; this last reagent, however, should not be used in large quantity. A plan much used to prevent sulphury buttons is to insert an iron rod or a nail in the charge in the crucible; the iron takes the sulphur forming sulphide of iron which in moderate quantity does not form a separate layer of matte but dissolves in the slag. A slag formed of 50 grams of quartz, 100 soda, and some borax, may take up in this way some 10 or 12 grams of sulphide of iron. If, however, an ore gives a layer of matte or speise, it is best to repeat the assay by the method of calcining before fusion.
Cyanide Charges, etc.—In assaying the "tailings" which are to be treated in a cyaniding plant the following charge is used:
| Tailings | 3 | assay tons or | 100 | grams. |
| Litharge | 4.5 | " | 150 | " |
| Soda | 4.5 | " | 150 | " |
| Borax | .75 | " | 25 | " |
The sand is assayed without any further crushing and the assay is made in duplicate.
The residues after treatment with cyanide, differing from the tailings merely in being poorer in gold because of the extraction by the solution of cyanide, are run down with the same fluxes in the same relative proportions. But four charges of 2.5 assay tons (say 75 grams) are worked, and two of the resulting buttons are scorified together and then cupelled, etc., so as to give duplicate assays on charges of 5 assay tons. This is one of the cases in which it is desirable to add a small portion of silver before cupelling.
In assaying the "cyanide liquors" for gold, 2 assay tons of the liquor are measured out (58.3 c.c. for the ton of 2000 lbs., 65.3 c.c. for the other) and are evaporated to dryness in a lead dish weighing about 35 grams. Such a dish is easily extemporised out of a piece of lead foil, if the ordinary vessel is not at hand; but care must be taken that the lead is free from gold. The dish with the dried residue is then scorified and the resulting button of lead is cupelled.
