The use of capillary electrophoresis and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry for the analysis of metals, cyanide compounds and SCN- in leaching solutions

Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spec trometry (ICP) have been used to analyse cyanide compounds in two different samples: a mixture of metal cyanide standards and a leaching solution from a gold mineral (Minas Gerais, Brazil). In the second sample, different met al (Au (I), Ag (I), Fe (II), Ni (II) and Cu (I) cyanide complexes, as well as sulphur compounds (HS- and SCN-) have been identified. In order to study the performance of the two techniques, some analytical pa rameters have been calculated. The results indicate that both CE and ICP ar e useful to analyse metal cyanides. Furthermore, although ICP showed, as ex pected, the highest precision, sensitivity and accuracy values, CE allowed the determination of HS- and SCN in the leaching solutions from ores. This fact can have powerful implications in the hydrometallurgical processing of sulphur containing minerals.