A Unified Method for the Recovery of Metals from Chalcogenides

Metal chalcogenides are ubiquitous starting materials for the extraction of metals from both primary and secondary sources. In this study, it is shown that chalcogenide compounds electrochemically active can be solubilized solid powders by electrochemical oxidation in a deep eutectic solvent. Importantly, metal ions released into solution were unaffected type present initial compound, maintaining same speciation as would obtained dissolution chloride salt. Therefore, recovered process mixtures chalcogenides. The form mixture oxyanions + IV VI states, which separable via standard processes.