WHAT'S THE BEST MINERAL ANALYSIS ?Good question eh ?
I think so too.
I was reading up on the Jean Marie Claims.
Stumbled upon an older report from - 2008.
Yup.... Zone C is their payday zone...
Quick read...
Some visuals - that depict the outline of C zone
Report includes more intel on the south west zones
adjacent to - C - zone.
When i arrived at the lab reports -
I decided to delve into the topic of - atomic absorbtion.
Out of all the reports i've readover hte years, i have never come
across a lab report speaking this -
EXCERPT -
Samples and standards unda go an aqua regia digestion
in 200 ml phosphoric acid.
Yeah.... phosphoric acid.
Most reports just speak of - aqua regia.
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There's alot of parameters to this subject -
all of which - circle the subject - recieving best assay.
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Aqua Regia = Hcl + Nitric
Two acids
Would the spectrometey or Atomic absorbtion machine
have both ( chloric + nitric ) controls ot detect each Cu conversion ?
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Throw in phosphoric acid
Lab has now created - 3 - potential conversions
lol
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It's gets better...
stick with me... wink.
Atomic Absorbtion
relies on - light excitment -
Hitting the solubilized minerals in solution
And... most likely - 3 conversion acids -
Does the machine have these 3 conversion
controls baked into the - machine for detection ?
If the targeted mineral - ABSORBS - light
the machine will measure the amount of atoms
in movement - then,... provide a mineral percentage value.
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Is Atomic light absorbtion - really that great ?
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Let's probe a tad more....
Light is based on the - light spectrum.
Materials and in this case, minerals will absorb light
based on - colors and atoms.
Colors asisst in this absorbtion.
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AGAIN -
Aqua regia has chloric and nitric ( acids )
CuCl - cannot absorb light - copper 1
it can also be a clear solution.
not green as most think.
Copper Nitrate -
truns blue...
Interesting - eh ?
And the blue spectrum is darker -
will abosrb more - light - photons.
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Copper phosphate -
appafrently abosrbs light - but... one would need a study
that compares all acid conversion and thier - inhibitions.
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NOTE - black abosrbs the most light -
most know this... but, it's good to remind oneself of this
when applying it to - mineral analysis.
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I also asked....
would using just - one acid - be more accurate ?
Using three with 3 different light absorbtion qualities
will end with - 3 different sums.
What if.... one conversion such as, chlroide did not
convert ot a chloride 2 and stayed in a single bond phase -
that copper chloride would not respond to light and reflect
in the - accuracy in copper grades....right ?
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Nitiric turns copper blue.
Closest color to back...
= highest abosrbtion
Versus - using three acids with 3 diff color conversions.
Each recieving thier own light cpaacity...
Such would arrive at an entirely diff - analysis -
I would think so....
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Knowing what type of copper one has...
And matching the hatch... with one acid would make sense.
Yet... if one is dealing in a bornite - peacock copper...
One is then dealing in a good - 3 varieties of copper.
One would need to ensire all 3 kinds of copper - could
convert to a one acid - testing.
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As for fire assay.... in this Jean Marie report -
The lab basically explains what thier fire assay proceedure
entails.... knowing which method would be good to know -
But.... what is their proceedure ?
Crush and Mill ores - Fire assaying -
And... right back to aqua regia... lol
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Which brings this subject round to -
ICP MS ( using plain peroxide or, sodium peroxide )
The assat format looks down to - ionic level -
The conversion of minerals to - hydride or oxide.
Here's the twist...
Some labs state - must use acid - after peroxide conversion.
Before - going under spectrometry scope.
Which.... tests for light absorbtion.
ugh.
Someone has it down to a science of - must use light.
must use severla acids.
some acids absorb light better tha nother acids.
darker the conversion = more light absorbtion.
Which begs....
I wonder if Jean Marie copper values...
Would increase in grade if...
- aqua regia was not used.
- phosphate not used.
And... one just ran with - nitric acid ?
Something to think about .
Here's the report -
page 29 - assaying methods.
https://cdn.ceo.ca.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/1fcuk5o-29668.PDF
In addition -
copper will bond with - potassium + phosphate.
a good qustion to ask the lab ?
Can it detect these sort of bonds ?
In the - Cariboo region - of B.C.
There's lots of potassium and phosphorus influneces
due ot volcanics -
Potassium sulphate + Copper turns - red.
hard not to think of the - red garnets or
red cupric copper crystals. ...
Cheers.....