Could you be confusing this with the method old miners used to refine their gold ?
They used Liquid Mercury to seperate out the gold from the crused ore.... Then they would heat the Liguid in a copper pan allowing the Mercury to vaporize... which is a poisonous gas..
<< <i>Wouldn't gold have to reach its boilling point to give off any fumes? >>
No, things give off some vapors below their boiling point - this is how water evaporates eventually at room temperature even though this is much below 100 C. At the boiling point, the vapor pressure is equal to atmospheric pressure, but there is some vapor pressure at lower temperatures. PURE gold wouldn't give off any 'toxic' fumes, so you would be talking of some impurity. Mercury seems to be a likely culprit, it is used in some purification methods, it is volatile, and is toxic.
Comments
roadrunner
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
They used Liquid Mercury to seperate out the gold from the crused ore.... Then they would heat the Liguid in a copper pan allowing the Mercury to vaporize... which is a poisonous gas..
Camelot
UP MY NOSE. WONT THAT WORK?
Camelot
<< <i>I PLANNED TO STUFF JELLY DONUTES
UP MY NOSE. WONT THAT WORK? >>
OMG Bear is now snorting jelly donuts.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
<< <i>
<< <i>I PLANNED TO STUFF JELLY DONUTES
UP MY NOSE. WONT THAT WORK? >>
OMG Bear is now snorting jelly donuts. >>
........you mean the kind with the WHITE POWDER....!!!!!!!!!!!!..........
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>I PLANNED TO STUFF JELLY DONUTES
UP MY NOSE. WONT THAT WORK? >>
OMG Bear is now snorting jelly donuts. >>
........you mean the kind with the WHITE POWDER....!!!!!!!!!!!!.......... >>
And you though that was powdered sugar on those donuts?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
Camelot
<< <i>Wouldn't gold have to reach its boilling point to give off any fumes? >>
No, things give off some vapors below their boiling point - this is how water evaporates eventually at room temperature even though this is much below 100 C. At the boiling point, the vapor pressure is equal to atmospheric pressure, but there is some vapor pressure at lower temperatures. PURE gold wouldn't give off any 'toxic' fumes, so you would be talking of some impurity. Mercury seems to be a likely culprit, it is used in some purification methods, it is volatile, and is toxic.