STRIPPING GOLD OR SILVER FROM PARTICULATE MATERIALS

The present invention relates to desorption of gold or silver from particulate materials and in particular provides a composition for use in separating gold or silver from particulate material on which it is adsorbed, which comprises a homogeneous phase mixture of aqueous solvent having dissolved therein at least 20% by volume of polar organic solvent or mixture of polar organic solvents selected from ketones containing up to 5 carbon atoms and nitriles containing up to 3 carbon atoms, said solvent mixture containing from 0.1% by weight to saturation of a water soluble inorganic cyanide or thio cyanate salt which produces free cyanide or thio cyanate ions in water. The invention also provides a method of separating gold or silver from particulate materials on which the gold is adsorbed, where the particulate material is eluted with a composition in accordance with the present invention at a temperature in the range from 10 to 50.degree.C, for a period of time sufficient to desorb at least a portion of the adsorbed gold or silver from the particulate material, and then separating the composition containing desorbed gold or silver from the particulate material.