An electrochemical method to investigate the effects of compound composition on gold dissolution in thiosulfate solution

Abstract

The electrochemical behavior of gold dissolution in the Cu2+–NH3–S2O32−–EDTA solution has been investigated in detail by deriving and analyzing the Tafel polarization curve, as this method is currently widely implemented for the electrode corrosion analysis. The dissolution rate of gold in Cu2+–NH3–S2O32−–EDTA solution was determined based on the Tafel polarization curves, and the effects of various compound compositions in a Cu2+–NH3–S2O32−–EDTA mixture on the corrosion potential and corrosion current density were analyzed. The results showed that the corrosion potential and polarization resistance decreased, whereas the corrosion current density increased for certain concentrations of S2O32−–NH3–Cu2+ and EDTA, indicating that the dissolution rate of gold had changed. The reason for promoting the dissolution of gold is also discussed.

Keywords

• thiosulfate
• anodic dissolution
• tafel polarization curve
• electrochemical behavior