Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Remove gold with nitric acid
• Method 2 of 2: Remove gold with fire
• Warnings

If you've opened an electronic device before, such as radios, televisions, or even your old cell phone, you've seen their interior. Did you also notice those shiny gold-colored parts on the circuit boards? Those bright bits of metal are actually gold. Gold is used on electronic printed circuit boards for its excellent conductivity properties and because it will not bleed or rust over time. If you still have some circuit boards lying around, have some fun and go gold mining.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Remove gold with nitric acid

1. Wear protective equipment. Make sure to wear a face mask, safety goggles and industrial gloves. Chemicals and acids can irritate or even burn your skin. Fumes from burning acids can also damage your eyes and cause nausea if inhaled.
2. Buy concentrated nitric acid. Nitric acid is a clear liquid chemical commonly used in a variety of industrial, steel, and woodworks. You can buy nitric acid from industrial or chemical supply stores.
   • However, in some countries it may be illegal to buy nitric acid or you may have to meet certain standards in order to purchase it. Before purchasing nitric acid, contact your local authorities.
3. Place the printed circuit boards in a glass container. The tray should preferably be Pyrex glass or be resistant to high temperatures.
   • Break the circuit boards into smaller pieces and place them in the glass container.
   • Do not use plastic containers, as the acid can burn right through them.
4. Pour the concentrated nitric acid into the glass container with the printed circuit boards. When pouring the acid, burning fumes will come out of the container, so be sure to wear protective clothing.
5. Stir the mixture with a glass rod until the contents become liquid. Since gold must be dissolved with stronger chemicals, the nitric acid melts all plastic and metal parts of the circuit board without damaging the gold pieces.
6. Drain the nitric acid from the mixture. Use a filter to separate the solids from the liquid.
7. Take out the unfused parts. The gold is on these parts. There may still be some plastic stuck to the gold, so you have to separate those small pieces from the gold yourself. When doing this, use gloves for industrial use.

Method 2 of 2: Remove gold with fire

1. Wear protective equipment. Wear a face mask, safety goggles, and industrial gloves to avoid inhaling the fumes released by the burning plastic. Use steel tongs to flip the burning circuit boards.
2. Take a metal container or bowl and put the printed circuit boards in it. Break the plates into smaller pieces so they burn faster.
3. Set the plates on fire. Pour a little gasoline over the pieces to light them. Turn the burning pieces over with steel tongs and wait for the plates to burn black.
4. Extinguish the fire. Let the pieces cool slightly - just warm enough to touch, but not too cool for the plastic to harden again.
5. Break off the pieces of plastic attached to the gold parts. The burning process should make the sheet materials brittle and easy to break.
   • For safety, wear protective gloves when breaking the plastic.

Warnings

• Burning plastics can be very dangerous to the lungs and the environment, so go through the entire process with extreme caution and consider others.
• Be extremely careful with acids and chemicals. To avoid severe chemical burns, never touch them with bare hands.
• Use acids and chemicals in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling the fumes.
• Get rid of the chemicals properly. Take the used acid to recycling facilities.
• Take the burnt plastic scraps from the plate to a recycling facility near you for proper waste disposal.