cyanide process

American  

noun

1. a process for extracting gold or silver from ore by dissolving the ore in an alkaline solution of sodium cyanide or potassium cyanide and precipitating the gold or silver from the solution.

---

cyanide process British  

noun

1. Also called: cyaniding.  a process for recovering gold and silver from ores by treatment with a weak solution of sodium cyanide

---

Etymology

Origin of cyanide process

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cyanide process

In Kershaw, OceanaGold’s cyanide process kills off virtually all of the toxic material before it is released into the tailings pond, said Scott McDaniel, the OceanaGold environmental manager.

From Washington Times ● May 7, 2017

At the time that the outcrop in the Rand become exhausted, what is today known as the "cyanide process" had never been used in that part of the world.

From An African Adventure by Marcosson, Isaac Frederick

The discovery of the cyanide process of treating gold and silver ores permitted the exploitation of many mines which could not be worked under the older methods.

From My Four Years in Germany by Gerard, James W. (James Watson)

In the extraction of gold and silver from their ores by amalgamation, large amounts of metallic mercury have been utilized, but of late years the wide application of the cyanide process has decreased this use.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

The cyanide process, introduced about 1890, is now one of the most important factors in the utilization of low-grade and refractory gold and silver ores.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various