Electrochemical investigation of gold uptake from chloride solution by magnetite

Abstract

An electrochemical method (potential sweep method) was utilized to investigate the nature of the absorbed gold on magnetite and to determine the gold sorption mechanism. A magnetite electrode was prepared in the laboratory, made in contact with a gold chloride solution at different conditions, and was subjected to cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammogram of the magnetite electrode pretreated in a gold chloride solution recorded an anodic current peak at around 1.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which corresponds to the current generated for the anodic dissolution of metallic gold in a chloride medium. The results of the electrochemical experiments suggest that gold chloride complexes are reduced to metallic gold on the surface of magnetite. A four-stage gold uptake mechanism was proposed: (i) the transport of AuC14- from the bulk solution to the magnetite surface, (ii) adsorption of AuC14- ions on magnetite surface by electrostatic attraction, (iii) electrochemical reduction of AuC14- to metallic Au, and (iv) the transport of soluble species to the solution phase. The electrochemical investigation also revealed that Fe3+ ions released from magnetite into the solution, suppressed the gold uptake at the acidic pH region.