Ebook: The precious metals comprising gold, silver and platinum

The "Westminster" Series - London, Archibald Constable & Co. Ltd, 1909. - 295 p.In the preparation of this work, the aim has been to provide an introduction to the study of the precious metals, and an elementary book of reference for those who do not wish to pursue the subject further. With these objects in view details have been generally omitted and a wide extent of ground has been covered, including the technical processes of minting and the manufacture of gold and silver wares. It need hardly be mentioned, however, that all questions of currency and finance have been left untouched. It is also perfectly obvious that the book is not intended to be a substitute for the larger treatises on metallurgy, some of which devote the whole of a bulky volume to the full consideration of a section of the subject dealt with here in the course of a few pages.Contents
History of gold
Properties of gold
Compounds of gold
Alloys of gold
The occurrence of gold in nature: gold ores
Extraction of gold from its ores: gold washing
Treatment of gold ores by crushing and amalgamation
Treatment of gold ores by wet methods
Silver and its alloys
Compounds and ores of silver
The extraction of silver from its ores
Refining gold and silver
The assay of gold and silver ores
The assay of gold and silver bullion
Minting
Manufacture of gold and silver wares
Platinum
Production and consumption of the precious metals
Index