How to Melt Gold Out of Rocks

Gold is a rare mineral. Today's gold deposits in the United States are mostly found in Nevada, but past gold rushes in California and Alaska occurred when prospectors found nuggets and dust broken off the rocks there. Not only are gold-bearing rocks rare, the concentration of gold in the ore is very small. In some types of rock with embedded gold nuggets, the precious metal can be melted out of the rock. Since gold has a relatively low melting point, the rock can be heated until the gold emerges.

Things You'll Need

• Equipment to crush ore
• Crucible (made of graphite or similar material)
• Flux (a mixture of borax and sodium carbonate)
• Furnace or acetylene burner (for very small batches)
• Thermometer
• Equipment to handle rock slag
• Mold for the doré (technical term for molten gold)

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Crush the gold-bearing rock to a fine powder.

   • 2

     Put the crushed rock and flux in a crucible.

   • 3

     Place the crucible in the furnace.

   • 4

     Heat the furnace to 1947.52 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the melting point of gold.

   • 5

     Take out the crucible. Pour the liquid gold into the mold.

   • 6

     Remove the slag from the crucible so that it can be used again.