How to Remove Gold from Circuit Boards: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (2024)

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Removing Gold Using Nitric Acid Removing Gold Using Fire Community Q&A Video Tips Warnings You Might Also Like References About This Article Did this article help you?

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Easy ways to remove gold from circuit boards

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1Removing Gold Using Nitric Acid

2Removing Gold Using Fire

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Last Updated: August 16, 2023Fact Checked

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If you’ve opened an electronic device before, such as radios, televisions, or even your old cellphone, you’ve seen their inner workings. Ever noticed those shiny gold-colored parts on the circuit boards? Those bright pieces of metal are, in fact, gold. Gold is used on electronic circuit boards because of its excellent conductive properties and because it doesn’t corrode or rust over time. If you still have any of those circuit boards lying around, have a bit of fun and mine them for gold.[1]

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Removing Gold Using Nitric Acid

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  1. 1

    Get protective gear. Be sure to wear a face mask, safety glasses, and industrial gloves. Chemicals and acids can irritate or even burn through your skin. Fumes from burning acids can also hurt your eyes and cause nausea when inhaled.[2]

  2. 2

    Purchase concentrated nitric acid. Nitric acid is a clear liquid chemical commonly used for various industrial, steel, and wood works. You can purchase nitric acid from industrial or chemical shops.[3]

    • In some states and countries, however, you might be prohibited from buying nitric acid or you might have to meet certain standards before you’re allowed to purchase it. Check with your local authorities before purchasing.[4]

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  3. 3

    Put your circuit boards in a glass container. The container should preferably be Pyrex glassware or the kind that can withstand extreme heat.[5]

    • Break the circuit boards into smaller pieces before you put them in the glass container.
    • Do not use plastic containers as the acid might burn right through it.

  4. 4

    Pour the concentrated nitric acid into the glass container with the circuit boards. As you put the acid in, burning fumes will start to come out of the container, so make sure you’re wearing protective gear.

  5. 5

    Stir the mixture using a glass rod until the contents become fluid in form. Since gold requires stronger chemicals to be dissolved, the nitric acid will melt all the plastic and metal parts of the circuit board without harming the gold bits.[6]

  6. 6

    Drain the nitric acid from the mixture. Use a filter to separate the solid parts from the liquid.

  7. 7

    Pick out the unmelted parts. These parts will have the gold. Some plastic may still be attached to the gold, so you need to separate these little bits off the gold yourself. Be sure to use industrial strength gloves when you do so.

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  1. 1

    Get protective gear. Be sure to wear a face mask, safety glasses, and industrial gloves to avoid breathing in the fumes released by the burning plastic. Use steel tongs to turn over the burning circuit boards.[7]

  2. 2

    Get a metal bin or tray, and put the circuit boards into it. Break the boards into smaller pieces so they burn faster.[8]

  3. 3

    Light the boards on fire. Pour a bit of gasoline over the pieces to put the pieces on fire. Turn the burning pieces over using steel tongs, and wait until the boards are burnt black.[9]

  4. 4

    Put out the fire. Allow the pieces to cool down a little—just warm enough so you can touch them, but not too cooled down that the plastic hardens again.

  5. 5

    Break off the pieces of plastic attached to the gold parts. The burning process should have made the board materials brittle and easy to break.[10]

    • To be safe, wear protective gloves when breaking off the plastic.

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Community Q&A

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  • Question

    Do cell phones have gold in them?

    How to Remove Gold from Circuit Boards: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (21)

    wikiHow Staff Editor
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    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

    How to Remove Gold from Circuit Boards: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (22)

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Answer

    Yes, most cell phones have gold in them. Places where gold may be found in a cell phone include the speakers (gold plated parts), the circuit board and small parts such as gold-plated connector pins and capacitors.

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  • Question

    How much is the gold in a cell phone worth?

    How to Remove Gold from Circuit Boards: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (23)

    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer

    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

    How to Remove Gold from Circuit Boards: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (24)

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Answer

    This depends on the amount of gold in the phone but a rough estimate is around USD$1 to USD$2 per phone. While it may not seem like much, by the time a gold recycling company has a ton of phones, that adds up to a lot of gold. For example, Sims Recycling Solutions North America recycled 167 ounces of gold from used cell phones in 2014, the equivalent of about 789 gold medals (Silverberg, 2017).

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    Thank you for your feedback.
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    See Also
    How to extract gold from electronics

  • Question

    Where are the precious metals in a computer?

    How to Remove Gold from Circuit Boards: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (25)

    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer

    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

    How to Remove Gold from Circuit Boards: 12 Steps (with Pictures) (26)

    wikiHow Staff Editor

    Staff Answer

    Precious metals are found in a number of places in a computer, including the printed circuit board, the CPU (computer chip), the hard drive, the capacitors, the connectors, etc.

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    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support wikiHow

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      Warnings

      • Burning plastics can cause severe lung and environmental hazards, so do the process with extreme caution and consideration for others.

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      • Handle acids and chemicals with extreme care. Do not ever touch them with your bare hands to avoid severe chemical burns.

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      • Use acids and chemicals in a well-ventilated area to avoid inhaling the fumes.

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      • Dispose of the chemicals properly. Take the used acid to recycling plants.

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      • Take the burned plastic remains of the board to recycling plants in your area to dispose of waste properly.

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      About This Article

      wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 11 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 385,040 times.

      15 votes - 76%

      Co-authors: 11

      Updated: August 16, 2023

      Views:385,040

      Categories: DIY

      Article SummaryX

      To remove gold from circuit boards, start by purchasing concentrated nitric acid from an industrial or chemical store. You’ll also need a face mask, safety glasses, and industrial gloves to work with nitric acid, since it can harm your skin and eyes and cause nausea if it’s inhaled. Next, break the circuit board into smaller pieces and place them inside a glass container. After putting on your safety gear, pour the nitric acid into the container and stir the mixture using a glass rod. Then, use a filter to drain the mixture and pick out the gold parts. For more tips, like how to remove gold using fire, read on!

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      In other languages

      Deutsch:Gold von Leiterplatten entfernen

      Português:Extrair Ouro de Placas de Circuito

      Español:extraer oro de las placas de circuitos

      Français:récupérer l'or des circuits imprimés

      العربية:استخراج الذهب من الدوائر الكهربائية

      中文:从电路板中提炼黄金

      हिन्दी:सर्किट बोर्ड्स से सोना निकालें (Remove gold from Circuit board)

      한국어:서킷 보드에서 금 빼는 방법

      Nederlands:Goud uit printplaten verwijderen

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