May 14, 2010
What Does Assay Mean?
Assay means the analysis of precious metal component in an alloy, a piece of art or jewellery. This is a very technical job, and it is carried out only by authorized institutions that have the right and relevant equipment to test the precious metal content. Such institutions are called Assay Offices. After performing the necessary procedure of assaying bullion, they certify the claim of the maker about its quality/purity by stamping a Hallmark on it.
The process, through which gold is assayed, has been modified over the past many years. Nowadays, assaying means the process of melting down, stirring, and then separating gold from other metals; it is done in order to formulate the ratio and the value of pure gold, so that it can be exchanged with some other form of payment; there are particular rules that need to be followed.
The first application of assay is in chemical labs and factories. Here, this word means to pick out and purify a material of interest from random substances and then study and analyse its specific components, its chemistry, its applications and the implications that it can bring upon the mankind.
An example of this is the qualitative or quantitative assessment of a metal or an ore that is extracted out. An illustration of this is that gold, when extracted out, is purified to take out a normal quality, a good quality, and an excellent quality. Another example is where crude oil is taken for fractional distillation and substances like petrol, diesel, coal, normal use oil is taken out from it.
The second application of assay is in pharmaceutical laboratories, where the chemical composition of a drug is seen. This is also linked to microbiology in a way that the action of the mentioned drug is seen on the human tissues, animals, bacteria, viruses, protozoa and other organisms.
Another advantage of this method is that it tests the composition of the other components present in the alloy. There are some contraindications for this method as well. Those gold products that are treated with chemicals or have gone through electroplating should not be assayed with this method.
An example of the above mentioned claim is to find out genetic and pathologic abnormalities like Hepatitis C through a process which is well known as ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay). This procedure, even though expensive, is used widely nowadays.
The leftover residue is then filtered out and is weighed again. It is weighed onto the filter paper and an extra sheet is added to determine the weight of the filter paper. The difference is the actual weight of gold in the ore.
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