GRANT 256 CYANIDE IN GOLD DEPOSITS.

Fluid-inclusion-rich samples of quartz from various vein occurrences, including gold ore deposits, contain a chemical species which reacts colorimetrically like either thiocyanate or cyanide, and is present at concentrations of hundreds of ppb. It is liberated from the quartz by grinding in NaOH, and presumably occurs trapped in the fluid phase of the inclusions. This raises the possibility that the Au(CN) OVER BAR //2 complex may have been partly responsible for transport of gold in hydrothermal ore deposits.