Extraction and separation studies of gold(III) with 4-(4-methoxybenzylideneimino)-5-methyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol in hydrochloric acid medium

A novel method is proposed for the extraction of microgram level concentration of gold(III) from hydrochloric acid medium with 4-(4-methoxybenzylideneimino)-5-methyl-4H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (MBIMTT) dissolved in chloroform as an extractant. The gold(III) from the organic phase is stripped with ammonia buffer solution (pH-10.1) and determined spectrophotometrically with stannous chloride. The method affords the binary separation and determination of gold(III) from the alloys and synthetic mixtures. The method is applicable for the determination and separation of gold from Ayurvedic samples. The method is highly selective, simple and reproducible.