Scientists accidentally descover gold extraction method using cornstarch

[soupfreak]

Cornstarch Replaces Cyanide In Clean New Gold Extraction Method | Popular Science

 

[chowe]

Cheers

 

[Alex Burke]

Would it need to be agitated constantly? Like one of the comments said I think once it hit water it would harden, and it would be expensive to agitate the whole process. I don't understand it that well though. Why does it only pick up gold if you know? If they used another variation of the starch fragment would it stick to PT or other metals? That's random that it only picks gold. How hard is it to get the bromine out or is that not a problem? Sorry for so many questions. Thanks for posting cool article.

 

[DesertNuggets]

And yet another use for a corn product.

 

[DesertNuggets]

If I read it right the gold is disolved in bromide and is precipitated with a-cyclodextrin. I don't see how this would eliminate the cyanide process... This sounds like the greenies spin on borax can replace mercury.

 

[63bkpkr]

Corn starch can be used to make a pretty good gravy but I'm not jumping on its use for gold recovery till another lab repeats the experiment with success.....................63bkpkr