The Cyanide Process Explained: How Gold and Silver Are Extracted Using Cyanide

Well, let me tell ya, the cyanide process is somethin’ they use to get gold and silver outta rocks. Now, I ain’t no scientist, but I can tell ya it’s a bit of a tricky business. They take the rocks, you know, them ores, and mix ’em with a solution of sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide. It’s a liquid, sorta like a poison, and it helps dissolve the gold and silver right outta the rock. This here method’s been around for a long time—ever since 1887, when a couple of fellers from Scotland came up with it. Their names were MacArthur, Forrest, and Forrest—don’t ask me how they thought of it, but it works.

So what happens is, they dissolve that cyanide in water, and it starts to pull the precious metals outta the ore. But it ain’t just that simple. The stuff they use, sodium cyanide, can be made in a few different ways. One way is by heatin’ up sodium amide with some carbon. Another way, well, they mix sodium chloride with calcium cyanamide in a furnace. Sounds complicated, but it’s just how they get the stuff they need to make this process work.

Now, if you’re wonderin’ about the chemistry behind all this, there’s somethin’ called the Elsner equation. It’s a big fancy name, but it’s just a chemical way of explainin’ how the gold and silver dissolve into the cyanide solution. But don’t get too hung up on the fancy words, all you need to know is that it works. And boy, it works big time. I mean, at some big mines, they can process up to 500 tons of gold in just one day! Can you imagine that? It’s a huge deal.

What’s the Macarthur-forest process?

Well, that’s just another name for this here cyanide process. Same thing, just different words. It’s called that after the fellers who invented it, and it’s been the main way folks get their gold and silver for over a hundred years now. If you’re lookin’ to get gold out of the ground, this is the method you’re most likely gonna use. It’s efficient, and it gets the job done.

How’s it work exactly?

• First, they crush up the ore real fine, so the gold and silver can mix better with the cyanide.
• Then, they mix that fine powder with a cyanide solution, and it starts to dissolve the metals.
• Once the gold and silver are all mixed into the solution, they can separate ’em from the rest of the stuff, and then, they get the precious metals outta it.

Sounds pretty straightforward, don’t it? But there’s a whole lotta work involved in makin’ sure it’s done right. If they don’t get the mixin’ just right, they might end up wastin’ a whole lotta good gold and silver, which is somethin’ nobody wants. That’s why they got experts workin’ on it, folks who know exactly how to make sure it all works smooth as butter.

Now, like I mentioned, cyanide is a real dangerous thing. It smells funny, kinda like almonds if you ask me, but it’s a poison. So when folks use it in this process, they gotta be careful. They got all sorts of safety rules to follow, so that no one gets hurt. There’s even somethin’ called the Cyanide Code, which is a set of rules for how to handle and transport cyanide safely. It’s voluntary, but a lotta folks in the business follow it to make sure they don’t mess up. They use cyanide in gold production all over the world, so the rules are important.

Why is this process so big?

Well, let’s just say this: if you’re gonna mine a lotta gold or silver, you need somethin’ that can handle it. And that cyanide process? It can handle a whole lot. In some places, they process hundreds of tons of ore a day. I mean, think about that. You gettin’ all that gold outta the ground with just a little bit of cyanide and water? That’s mighty efficient, if ya ask me.

But here’s the thing: they don’t just use cyanide for gold and silver. Some folks use it for other things too, like to make steel harder. They do what’s called cyaniding, which is a heatin’ process where they dip steel into sodium cyanide and heat it up real hot, like 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit or so. It makes the steel all tough and strong, good for makin’ all sorts of tools and machinery. But that’s a whole other story.

Is the cyanide process safe?

Well, like I said before, cyanide’s real dangerous stuff, so folks gotta be careful. But when it’s handled right, it’s a pretty safe way to get gold and silver. They got all sorts of safety measures, like protective gear for the workers and ways to deal with any accidents. And, of course, they got them rules like the Cyanide Code to make sure everything’s done proper. But don’t think for a second that it’s foolproof. If you’re not careful, things can go wrong, and cyanide ain’t something you wanna mess around with.

But all in all, the cyanide process is a mighty important way we get gold and silver. It’s efficient, it’s been around a long time, and it’s still the main method folks use today. And even though it sounds a little scary with all the cyanide and chemicals, it’s one of the best ways we’ve got to get that precious metal outta the ground.

Tags：[Cyanide Process, Gold Extraction, Silver Extraction, Macarthur-forest Process, Cyanidation, Sodium Cyanide, Potassium Cyanide, Gold Mining, Cyanide Safety, Cyanide Code]