Separation of Gold from Indium,Gallium,Cerium,Tungsten and Vanadium by Floatation

In a buffer solution of pH 3,and in the presence of 2.5×10-3mol·L-1 NaCl and 4.0×10-4mol·L-1 tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB),a water insoluble complex of Au(Ⅲ) in form of AuCl-4·TBAB+ was separated and floated at the surface of the aqueous phase. While ions of In(Ⅲ),Ga(Ⅲ),Ce(Ⅳ),W(Ⅵ) and V(Ⅴ) were not precipitated under the same condition,hence quantitative separation of Au(Ⅲ) from the 5 elements mentioned above was attained. Efficiency of the proposed floatation separation was tested on a simulated water sample containing 200 μg of Au(Ⅲ) and 500 μg of each of the other 5 elements,rate of floatation (E/%) of Au(Ⅲ) found was 99.8% while values of floatation rate of the 5 co-existing ions were less than 4.5%.