Important: Safety Warning
This page contains a formula or preparation using substances now known to be dangerously toxic, such as arsenic, mercury, lead, or cyanide compounds. Exposure to these substances can cause severe poisoning, permanent injury, or death.
In addition, this page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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To Prepare Cyanide of Gold
Dissolve 1 ounce of fine gold in 28 pennyweights nitric acid and 2 ounces muriatic acid, and add 1 quart hot water. Precipitate with the second preparation used for cyanide of silver (see No. 3697), and proceed in the same manner. which merely imparts a blush of gold; they are taken out and again brushed; they are then put back into the solution and kept there for 3 or 4 minutes, which will be sufficient if the solution and battery are in good condition; but the length of time necessarily depends on these two conditions, which must be studied and regulated by the operator. 3731. To Electro-Gild Iron, Tin, and Lead. Iron, tin, and lead are very difficult to gild direct; they therefore generally have a thin coating of copper deposited upon them by the cyanide of copper solution (see Nos. 3754 and 3755), and immediately put into the