Post updated: Sep 29, 2020
Most people have various computer gadgets at home that are out of order or lying idle. These parts include hard drives, mobile phones, and processors. But in addition to simply throwing away the device, you can try to experiment and extract gold from the available parts.
Precious metals are used in computers.
Yes, yes, how much gold is in a computer processor - no one knows for sure, of course you can’t get rich from it, but for fun and for the sake of experiment you can try.
The fact is that computer and other parts actually contain gold. This is mostly old technology, but new computers and phones also contain gold, albeit in smaller quantities. Gold is also used in televisions, refrigerators, and tape recorders due to its good thermal and electrical conductivity properties.
In the mid-20th century, gold was used in the production of computers. The first computers occupied several floors, and they contained up to three kilograms of gold. It was used to cover the contacts of vacuum tubes and capacitors. Gold protected copper and brass parts from corrosion.
- How much gold is stored in equipment?
- Let's start mining gold
- What details should you look for gold in?
- A week after the start of the experiment
- How does industrial metal processing and gold mining take place?
How much gold is stored in equipment?
Knowledgeable people claim that three full-fledged system blocks contain as much gold as a hundredweight of rock from the mine. This is not so much, so you shouldn’t disassemble your work computer, because the cost of even one motherboard in working condition is disproportionately higher than how much gold is contained in a modern and technologically advanced motherboard.
If you have bins at home full of non-working equipment, you can extract some gold from it for a couple of dollars. It all depends on the type of equipment and its quantity. Some gold seekers report that 30 or more grams of gold have been recovered from some pieces.
To mine gold, you will need simple, readily available chemicals - hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide. After purchasing them, you can mine gold.
It is unlikely that you will be able to purchase a lot of hydrochloric acid, but you can order it on the Internet. True, in most cases it is possible to deliver only large quantities (from 5 liters), but such pleasure will cost about 2 euros per liter. However, the sale of hydrochloric acid is now limited because it has harmful fumes.
Jewelers began to use citric acid to bleach gold as a substitute for hydrochloric acid, because it is harmless and costs slightly less. Hydrogen peroxide can be purchased at a pharmacy, preferably several bottles at a time.
Illegal gold mining and responsibility for it
It is believed that every year miners extract about 20 tons of gold illegally. In many countries, artisanal private mining of precious metals is prohibited. For example, in Russia there is an article providing for criminal liability for working in mines or near river banks without a license. Violation of this law can result in a fine of up to three million rubles, and if the activity was carried out by a group of individuals, you can receive imprisonment for up to seven years.
Illegal gold mining
To obtain a license to legally mine gold, you must provide all documents representing your purpose, be part of a registered enterprise and follow the mining quotas for the site. The process of obtaining a license is long and difficult, so small firms without capital should not count on obtaining a license. To circumvent the law and not be held liable under an article of the Criminal Code, the prospector has two options:
- Conclude a mediation agreement with a gold mining company. After this, you can engage in activities on their territory.
- Join the staff of a gold mining company, which not all enterprises agree to.
In countries such as Australia and the USA, there is a procedure for purchasing a license. A license can be purchased for a year for an individual for $30. This is also due to tourism. Visitors often want to feel like they were in the gold rush and try to pan for gold on the river bank. Therefore, the process of obtaining a license is quite fast and, one might say, formal.
Let's start mining gold
To extract gold (except for acids) we will need:
- Glass jar;
- Rubberized gloves;
- Respirator;
- Safety glasses;
- Measuring plastic or glass cup;
- Plastic stick for stirring.
First, let’s mix a mixture of our ingredients, but don’t be lazy to read additional literature on chemistry, because an incorrectly prepared cocktail of peroxide and hydrochloric acid can have a sad effect.
We put on a respirator, goggles and gloves; a rubber apron, a mask, or, better yet, specialized clothing for chemists would be very useful. The mixture is strongly recommended to be prepared in an online casino for real money with withdrawal to a card in an open, ventilated area. When we open a bottle of acid, smoke that is very harmful to humans will come out of it as a result of the connection with the air. That is why work must be carried out in open areas in compliance with safety measures.
Acid and peroxide are mixed in proportions of 2 to 1 (two parts acid and one part peroxide). It is very important to pour the acid into the hydrogen peroxide; if you do this procedure the other way around, the reaction may lead to the release of liquid.
The components must be poured very slowly so that the solution mixes evenly. The resulting mixture should then be stirred with a plastic stick. The resulting solution should be greenish in color.
Aqua regia: history of the name, proportion of acids and chemical properties
The properties of Aqua Regia were described even before hydrochloric acid was discovered in the 14th century. The composition became widespread and got its name during the heyday of alchemy on the European continent. The German alchemist Albertus Magnus (of Cologne), who was the mentor of Thomas Aquinas, called it aqua secunda as a derivative of aqua prima, nitric acid.
Translated from Latin: “secondary vodka” and “primary vodka”.
Aqua regia is a very strong acid.
Representatives of the alchemical cohort began to call it royal when Cardinal Bonaventure, classified by Catholicism as the fathers of the church, established that a substance that combined two acids was capable of dissolving the “king of metals.” Previously, it was believed that the noble metal could not be changed by anything. The interaction of aqua regia and gold proved the opposite. In Russia, M.V. Lomonosov called the solution “royal vodka.”
The symbol of Aqua Regia, adopted by alchemists: ▽R. an inverted triangle is a sign of water.
Chemical products, when combined, interact and form a product composition that is highly active. This manifests itself in a strong odor with hints of chlorine and nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide gas is yellow in color and resembles smoke of this tone.
At first, aqua regia has no color, but gradually acquires a yellow-orange hue, becoming a very strong oxidizing agent. If it is stored for some time, it gradually decomposes, releasing gaseous substances.
The rate of etching, that is, oxidation, or solubility level, of gold is about 10 µm/min. Other noble metals require heating to certain temperatures for the reaction to occur. This applies to rhodium and iridium. A metal such as silver has other properties. Dissolution in Aqua Regia does not occur; a layer of AgCl, a precious metal chloride, forms on the surface.
What details should you look for gold in?
The bulk of the gold is stored in the central processor, video card, contacts and centipedes. As an example, let's consider gold mining from interfaces as the simplest.
We take all our boards, whether they work or not, it doesn’t matter. It is advisable that they are not magnetic, this will make it easier to remove their parts.
So, the motherboard contains microcircuits - they are made from alloys with gold, i.e. A small gold coating is applied to all copper contacts.
Potentially gold-containing parts (tracks, contacts, etc.) are thrown into a mixture of acid and peroxide, after which we wait a week until the gold settles and then we will know exactly how much gold in the computer can be extracted for use. The solution is stirred a little every day.
Let us repeat that you should not rely on mountains of gold; at the bottom there will be several grains of precious metal. As it settles, the liquid darkens, the circuit boards slide off, and you can see possible grains of gold in the solution.
Other halogens
In addition to chlorine, other elements of the seventh group of the periodic table also oxidize gold well. It is difficult to fully say about them: “that in which gold dissolves.”
Gold can react with fluorine in different ways: during direct synthesis (at a temperature of 300-400°C), gold fluoride III is formed, which immediately hydrolyzes in water. It is so unstable that it decomposes even when exposed to hydrofluoric acid, although it should be comfortable among fluoride ions.
Also, by the action of the strongest oxidizing agents: fluorides of noble gases (krypton, xenon), gold fluoride V can be obtained. Such fluoride generally explodes upon contact with water.
With bromine, things are somewhat simpler. Bromine is a liquid under normal conditions, and gold dissipates well in its solutions, forming soluble gold bromide III.
Gold also reacts with iodine when heated (up to 400°C), forming gold iodide I (this degree of oxidation is explained by the lower activity of iodine compared to other halogens).
Thus, gold certainly reacts with halogens, but whether gold dissolves in them is controversial.
A week after the start of the experiment
So, a little over a week has passed and we can finish the gold mining experiment. If the parts were selected correctly, then at the bottom of the jar you will notice fragments of gold extracted from these parts. But almost no one has checked how much gold can be mined by digging through a mobile phone. But if a small amount comes out of a whole computer, then a couple of grains can come out of a much smaller phone.
Now you need to “pull” the gold out of the acid. The easiest way is to use a paper filter (for filtering coffee). But you can also use a towel as a filter, but you should not clean gold grains from the fabric with your hands; you can disrupt the already soft structure of the metal, turning it into dust. The best solution would be to wash off the gold with vodka into a test tube or sealed container.
In connection with the spread of such methods of mining the yellow metal, some gold miners want to know how much gold is in mobile SIM cards. It all depends on the specific sample, but in general the amount of gold does not exceed a few hundredths of a gram, although some craftsmen write that they managed to extract 0.5 grams of metal from a SIM card.
We extracted gold from computer circuit boards, but it is worth remembering that each part has its own specific preparation before extraction and the composition of the solution, so if you are not a chemist, then work with gold extraction very carefully, observing all safety measures.
Section question - answer
How to make aqua regia to dissolve gold?
Expert opinion
Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich
Jeweler 6th category
The composition in which two acids act is obtained by combining them in a certain percentage ratio: 65-67% HNO3 and 33-35% HCl. When converted to pure substances, one to two.
How to precipitate gold from aqua regia at home?
Expert opinion
Grishanov Mikhail Petrovich
Jeweler, director of the Grishanov and Co. workshop
If you carry out the etching reaction at home, several chemical reagents are applicable and relatively safe:
- inkstone; FeSO4 is added with an aqueous solution, proportion 1 to 2;
- oxalic acid can be successfully used in secondary precipitation;
- sodium pyrosulfite is suitable for secondary precipitation, added in pure form, in an aqueous solution, requires caution: if something is done wrong, harmful gaseous substances will be released;
- Hydrogen peroxide must have a high concentration for the process to proceed.
- Hydrazine is a strong solvent, not very suitable for home use; if used, it must be added in small drops, since if not done carefully, an explosion may occur.
Mined gold after deposition
How does industrial metal processing and gold mining take place?
On an industrial scale, when processing old equipment (not just computer processors), the same procedure (refining) is used using acids and sodium sulfide. After the entire chemical procedure, gold has formed in the tank, which needs to be filtered. A filter is connected to the system, through which all impurities except gold sand are removed.
At a temperature of 200 degrees, gold sand is heated in a drying chamber. After 2 hours it can be melted.
If you hand over your computer for industrial recycling in order to get rich from the extracted precious metal, you cannot count on big earnings.
In total, when disassembling two computer processors: several small grains of yellow metal, selling which, at best, you can get 2 dollars in profit.
You can earn much more by selling a non-working processor unit as scrap metal.
Gifts from Wargaming
Occasionally, developers decide to give out free bonuses to players. As a rule, this happens on some significant dates. The most valuable gifts are usually given on Wargaming's birthday. In this case, the longer the account is registered, the greater the reward.
Unfortunately, developers celebrate birthdays only once a year, and there are not many holidays on which gold is distributed, but sometimes it’s nice to receive such a gift.
Android Applications
Dozens of applications for earning World of Tanks gold coins are available for users of Android smartphones and tablets. It works like this:
- You install the application and create an account;
- Enter the invitation code to receive the first money into your account (you can look in reviews on Google Play - there are always codes there);
- Then you can complete simple tasks like “Install the application” or “Reach level 10 in the game”;
- For each completion you will receive a certain number of coins;
- Once the minimum payout amount is reached, money can be withdrawn to your World of Tanks account.
There are many applications that work according to this business model. Among the popular ones I can recommend:
- Gold for World of Tanks (or Gold for Tanks) – more than 500 thousand installations;
- Gold&Tanks - more than 10 thousand installations.
As you can see from the reviews from Google Play, this is a good opportunity to earn extra gold when you have a lot of free time.
Bottom line
It is worth noting that all methods that do not require investing real money bring a fairly low income and to collect a good amount - for example, to buy a premium tank of level 8, will require several months of daily play. However, along with many games where such content is only available for real money, WOT Blitz has a fairly high level of accessibility. Even in classic tanks, gold is much more difficult to earn and there it is an extremely rare reward for completing various tasks.
Guide author: alexej84
The essence of the method is to upgrade World of Tanks accounts to other players for money. I understand your skepticism - I myself ignored such methods until I discovered a whole section of tank upgrade services on olx.ua. Moreover, some particularly “savvy” groups of players create entire websites on this topic. Judging by the price list, these guys earn quite well.
You too can join them by filling out an application on the Wot-drive.com website. The guys are looking for experienced and responsible tankers over 20 years old to join the team. You can see the detailed requirements yourself at the bottom of this page. If you are lucky and accepted into the team, you will be able to provide to rich nerds, receiving good money, which, in turn, you can convert into World of Tanks gold.
Well, of course, no one forbids you to organize such a service yourself or engage in WOT freelancing, advertising your services on social networks, on forums, various websites, and so on. All in your hands
