Anodic Dissolution of Gold in Alkali–Cyanide Solutions Containing Microquantities of Mercury Ions

An admixture of mercury ions accelerates dissolution of gold at negative (in the hydrogen scale) potentials and hinders it at positive potentials. In contradistinction to a similar effect exerted by admixtures of thallium, bismuth, and lead ions, the influence of mercury ions, all other conditions being equal, manifests itself at much longer times of contact between gold and solution. This difference is due to a low rate of the act of adsorption (discharge) of mercury ions. The rate increases at more negative potentials, and at E ≤ –1.2 V (NHE) the act accelerates to such an extent that looses the limiting role, which passes to the stage of supply of mercury ions to the electrode, as with solutions containing thallium, bismuth, and lead. Comparing these results with earlier data on the adsorption of cyanide ions on gold shows that the discharge of the Hg(CN)2-4 anions stops limiting the formation of a layer of mercury atoms when the adsorption of cyanide ions turns insignificant.