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US 5,484,470 AGranted
Enhancement of gold lixiviation using nitrogen and sulfur heterocyclic aromatic compounds
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsSigridur S. Kristjansdottir, Jeffery S. Thompson
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Abstract
An improved process for dissolving gold metal in ligand and oxidant lixiviation systems, wherein the solubility of gold is enhanced by the addition of heterocyclic aromatic compounds containing nitrogen or sulfur in the ring.
Claims22
A process for enhancing the dissolution of gold in a lixiviation system containing ligand and oxidant, comprising adding to said lixiviation system a catalytic amount of an aromatic heterocyclic compound containing a heteroatom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and sulfur in the ring;
- provided that said heteroatom and the heterocyclic ring are available for coordination to the surface of the undissolved gold metal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.