Comment
Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Table of ContentsHOW TO USE FIRE ASSAY AND INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUESAtomic Absorption AAInduction Coupled Plasma/Atomic Emission SpectroscopyEmission SpectroscopyPROTECTION FROM LEAD INGESTIONFire Assay is the most common technique for analyzing precious metals was developed and refined almost to perfection before the 15th century (5). Government, mining and smelting companies, private analytical laboratories, universities, and geochemical exploration companies depend on fire assay techniques to produce accurate results. Fire assaying has been adopted by the court system as the preferred method for analyzing precious metals in legal disputes.This paper describes practices for analyzing precious metals that are used at the Reno Research Center of the Bureau of Mines. Areas discussed are:A general description of fire assaying. A typical fire assay analysis from start to finish is described.The layout of a fire assay laboratory.The combination of fire assay and sophisticated scientific instruments simplifies the analysis of selected platinum-group metals, and decreases the detection limit for gold and silver.Methods for protecting personnel from ingestion of lead.Bugbee’s book, “A Textbook of Fire Assaying” (2), which is referred to as the bible of fire assaying, defines fire assaying as: “an ancient form of quantitative analysis by which metals are separated and determined in ores and metallurgical products with the aid of heat and dry reagents.” To better understand Bugbee’s definition, a series of pictures which segments a fire assay into approximately 25 separate steps is presented.Figure 1 shows the sample being weighed on a top loading balance to an accuracy of ±0.1 gram. In fire assay analysis a
Add Comment