Cyanide evolution from a potassium gold cyanide plating bath

Technical Report · Tue Feb 12 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5528817· OSTI ID:5528817

Antepenko, R. J.

When a gold plating console was installed in a production area at the General Electric Neutron Devices Department (GEND), the console was placed adjacent to a 10% H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ activation bath. An experiment was made to measure the amount of hydrogen cyanide gas released as a result of the accidental addition of sulfuric acid to the gold bath. Similar hydrogen cyanide gas evolution data were obtained from the addition of either dilute sulfuric acid or concentrated sulfuric acid. Results show hydrogen cyanide gas release was a function of the plating bath pH. Air samples collected over a portion of the gold bath at pH 5.6 and at either room temperature or at a 70/sup 0/C operating temperature were found to contain 2 ..mu..g/1 hydrogen cyanide. Air samples collected over the bath sample at pH 4.1 to 4.3 contained 40 ..mu..g/1 hydrogen cyanide. A rapid increase in hydrogen cyanide was found in air samples collected over plating bath samples below pH 2.5. A quantity of reagent grade concentrated sulfuric acid was added to the test bath, which was equivalent to the addition of a 9-pound bottle of the acid to the 30-gallon production bath. Air samples were found to contain 1400 ..mu..g/1 of hydrogen cyanide.

• Research Organization: General Electric Co., St. Petersburg, FL (USA). Neutron Devices Dept.
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-04-0656
• OSTI ID: 5528817
• Report Number(s): GEPP-TIS-470
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201* -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CYANIDES
DEGASSING
DEPOSITION
ELEMENTS
GOLD
HYDROCYANIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
METALS
PH VALUE
PLATING
SULFURIC ACID
SURFACE COATING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
YIELDS