CHAPTER 9. THE LITHOSPHERE 9.10
The left-over cyanide can be re-used, but is more often stored in a pond
behind a dam or even dumped directly into a local river. A teaspoonfulof
2% solution of cyanidecan kill a human adult.
Mining companies insist that cyanide breaks down when exposed to sun-
light and oxygen whichrender it harmless. They also point to scientific
studies that show that cyanide swallowed by fish will not ’bio-accumulate’,
which means it does not pose a risk to anyone who eats the fish. In practise,
cyanide solution that seeps into the ground willnot break down becauseof
the absence of sunlight.If the cyanide solution is very acidic, it could turn
into cyanide gas, whichis toxic to fish. On the other hand, if the solutionis
alkaline the cyanide does not break down.
There are no reported cases of human death fromcyanide spills. If you don’t
see corpses, everythingis okay.
(a) What is cyanidation?
(b) What type of chemical reaction takes placeduring this process: precipitation,
acid-base or redox?
(c) Is the pH of the solution after cyanidation greater than, less than or equal to 7?
(d) How is solid gold recovered from this solution?
(e) Refer to cyanidationand discuss the meaningof the heading of this extract: More
profits, more poisons.
(DoE Grade 11 Paper 2,2007)
More practice video solutions or help at http://www.everythingscience.co.za
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