Preparation of gold nanoparticles from the metal scrap

The possibility of producing gold nanoparticles from electronic waste (metal scrap) containing gold metal has been demonstrated. After dissolving the metal scrap in chloronitric acid, gold ions are concentrated from aqueous solutions by the flotoextraction method using cationic amphiphile; then, the resulting precursor is reduced in direct micelles of amphiphile. The obtained samples were characterized by the spectroscopic methods, X-ray phase analysis, transmission electron and atomic force microscopies. The catalytic properties of the synthesized gold nanoparticles have been investigated in the reaction of polymerization of pyrrole to polypyrrole.