Gold recovery

[Billy Porky]

I have dissolved gold plated metal computer connector pins in conc nitric acid ( i think I should have used conc HCl ) and have a gelatenous blue mass in the reaction beaker. I assume the pins had iron in them and this product is iron nitrate any ideas as how to get this to dissolve so I can filter out the undissolved gold plating which should be left undissolved. Thanks.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Billy Porky

[weiming1998]

The gelatinous blue mass sounds like copper (II) hydroxide to me. That's strange, because it should have dissolved already in the nitric acid. Or maybe it is precipitated hydrated copper (II) nitrate, which makes more sense.

Anyway, just add water, and the mass should dissolve if it is the nitrate. If not, then add nitric acid, and it should dissolve.