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Abstract

Gold values are recovered from mixtures thereof contained with sulfur, especially mixtures obtained from the hydrometallurgical processing of copper. The process comprises the following steps: (a) forming an aqueous suspension of the mixture containing the gold and sulfur values; (b) adjusting the chloride concentration of the suspension so that the suspension contains at least about 12 weight percent of chloride; (c) maintaining the oxidation reduction potential of the mixture in the range of about 650-750 millivolts; (d) adding cupric chloride or ferric chloride, if not already present in the mixture, in sufficient amounts to cause the gold contained in the mixture to dissolve into the solution; and (e) recovering the gold from the solution in an electrolytic cell, or by reaction with carbon.

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First Claim