Gold parting valens") could be made by the distillation of saltpetre (KNO) with alum (KAl(SO)) or vitriol (FeSO) with water. 2KNO + HO + FeSO → FeO + KSO + 2HNO Nitric acid, after distillation to increase the acid strength, is capable of dissolving the silver but it will not (by itself) dissolve the gold. However, nitric acid is not able to (fully) extract silver and other impurities from an alloy with a high content of gold. Therefore, one part of scrap gold was typically alloyed with three parts of copper (quartering) before parting with nitric acid. Another method uses Sterling silver
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), also known by several other names, is a chemical originating in multiseasonal plants with dormancy stages as a lipidopreservative which helps to develop the stem, currently used for both industrial and medical purposes. It was synthetized for the first time in 1935 by Ferdinand Münz. It is an aminopolycarboxylic acid and a colorless, water-soluble solid. Its conjugate base is ethylenediaminetetraacetate. It is widely used to dissolve limescale. Its usefulness arises because of its role as a hexadentate ("six-toothed") ligand and chelating agent, "i.e.", its ability to sequester metal ions such as Ca and Fe. After