Textbook of Fire Assaying- Bugbee

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

ASSAY REAGENTS AND FUSION PRODUCTS – Pages 1-20
Definitions. Acids and Bases. Reagents. Chemical Reactions of Reagents. Fusion Products.

CHAPTER II

FURNACES AND FURNACE ROOM SUPPLIES – Pages 21-44
Crucible Furnaces. Muffle Furnaces. Sources of Heat. Coal Furnaces. Wood Furnaces. Coke Furnaces. Gasoline Furnaces. Gas Furnaces. Fuel Oil Furnaces. Electric Furnaces. Furnace Repairs. Muffles. Crucibles. Scorifiers. Furnace Tools.

CHAPTER III

ORE SAMPLING – Pages 45-73
Methods. Principles of Sampling. Sampling Practice. Hand Cutting. Machine Cutting. Moisture Sampling. Duplicate Sampling. Finishing the Sample. Sampling Ores Containing Malleable Minerals.

CHAPTER IV

BALANCES AND WEIGHTS – Pages 74-91
Flux Balance. Pulp Balance. Assay Balance. Theory of Balance. Directions for Use of Balance. Weighing by Equal Swings. Weighing by Method of Swings. Weighing by No Deflection. Weighing by Substitution. Check Weighing. Adjusting and Testing Assay Balance. Weights. Calibration of Weights.

CHAPTER V

CUPELLATION – Pages 92-125
Bone Ash. Making Cupels. Description of Process. Practice in Cupellation. Assay of Lead Bullion. Loss of Silver in Cupeling. Loss of Gold in Cupeling. Effect of Silver on the Loss of Gold in Cupeling. Influence of Impurities on the Loss of Precious Metals during Cupellation. Rule Governing Cupellation Losses. Indications of Metals Present. Indications of Rare Metals. Retention of Base Metals. Portland Cement and Magnesia Cupels. Color Scale of Temperature.

CHAPTER VI

PARTING – Pages 126-133
General Statement. Parting in Porcelain Capsules. Inquartation. Parting in Flasks. Influence of Base Metals on Parting. Indications of Presence of Rare Metals. Errors Resulting from Parting Operations. Testing Nitric Acid for Impurities. Testing Wash Water. Testing Silver Foil for Gold.

CHAPTER VII

THE SCORIFICATION ASSAY – Pages 134-148
General Statement. Ignition Temperatures of Metallic Sulfides. Heats of Formation of Metallic Oxides. Solubility of Metallic Oxides in Litharge. Assay Procedure for Ores. Chemical Reactions. Indications of Metals Present. Assay of Granulated Lead. Scorification Assay of Copper Matte. Losses in Scorification. Scorification Charges for Different Materials.

CHAPTER VIII

THE CRUCIBLE ASSAY – Pages 149-198
Theory of the Crucible Assay. Classification of Ores. Crucible Slags. Classification of Silicates. Action of Borax in Slags. The Lead Button. The Cover. Reduction and Oxidation. Reducing Reactions. Reducing Power of Minerals. Oxidizing Reactions. Testing Reagents. Slags for Class 1 Siliceous Ores. Slags for Class 1 Basic Ores. Assay Procedure for Class 1 Ores. Assay of Class 2 Ores. The Niter Assay. Slags for Pure Ores. Slags for Impure Ores. Conduct of the Fusion. Physical and Chemical Changes Taking Place in Niter Fusion. Preliminary Fusion. Estimating Reducing Power. Calculation of Assay Charge. Procedure for the Regular Fusion. The Soda-Iron Method. Chemical Reactions. The Slag. Procedure. The Roasting Method. Assay of Class 3 Ores.

CHAPTER IX

THE ASSAY OF COMPLEX ORES AND SPECIAL METHODS – Pages 199-219
Assay of Ores Containing Nickel and Cobalt. Assay of Telluride Ores. Assay of Ores and Products High in Copper. Assay of Zinc-Box Precipitate. Assay of Black Sands and Similar Substances. Assay of Cyanide Mill Slime Pulp and Tailing. Assay of Ores and Products Containing Bismuth. Assay of Antimonial Ores. Assay of Auriferous Tinstone. Corrected Assays.

CHAPTER X

SAMPLING AND ASSAYING OF BULLION – Pages 220-239
Definitions. Sampling Bullion. Lead Bullion. Copper Bullion. Dore Bullion. Gold Bullion. A say of Lead Bullion. Assay of Copper Bullion. Scorification Method. Crucible Method. Nitric Acid Combination Method. Mercury-Sulphuric Acid Method. Assay of Dore Bullion. United States Mint Assay of Gold Bullion.

CHAPTER XI

THE ASSAY OF SOLUTIONS – Pages 240-246
Evaporation in Lead Tray. Evaporation with Litharge. Precipitation by Zinc and Lead Acetate. Precipitation by Copper Salts. Electrolytic Precipitation. Colorimetric Method of Testing Barren Cyanide Solutions for Gold.

CHAPTER XII

THE LEAD ASSAY – Pages 247-253
Lead Ores. Accuracy and Limitations of Method. Quantity of Ore and Reagents Used. Influence of Other Metals. Procedure for Assay. Assay of Slags. Chemical Reactions.

CHAPTER XIII

THE ASSAY OF ORES AND PRODUCTS CONTAINING METALS OF THE PLATINUM GROUP – Pages 254-292
Occurrence. Minerals. Sampling. Field of the Fire Method. Indications. Detection. Identification. Treatment of Ores Containing Metallic Grains. Determination of Platinum, Gold, and Silver by the Sulphuric Acid Parting Method. Direct Determination of Palladium, Platinum, and Gold. Determination of Small Amounts of Platinum in Cupellation Beads by Microfiltration. The Determination of Silver in Ores, Wastes, and Alloys Containing Platinum and Palladium. Assay of Ores and Other Material Containing. Iridium, Iridosmium, Rhodium, and Ruthenium. Determination of Iridium in Platinum Alloys.

CHAPTER XIV

PRACTACAL ASSAYING – Pages 293-308
Requirements in Commercial Assaying. Varying Degrees of Precision. Preparation of Samples. Avoidance of Confusion of Samples. Assay Office Records. Directions for Assay Fluxing. Time and Labor Saving. Assay Fluxing in Routine Assaying. High Precision Weighing. Equilibrium in Fire Assaying.

INDEX. – Pages 309