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Getting Gold from Copper Wire

Dear...

I am a Civil Engineer doing some research for my dad who is a powerline contractor. He recently got a job that involves tearing down a line that was built in the late 30's that is all copper conductor. There is roughly 150 miles of line to tear down. He has heard that there may be a small amount of gold in the copper. It may not amount to much but in the quantsity he has and the price of gold it ends up being a lot of money. He would like me to find out if its true that there is any gold in that wire. If so is there a way to get at it and get it out.

Kyle Sorenson
Civil Engineer - Billings, MT, USA
2007

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This sounds like one for Myth-Busters. I don't claim to actually know the answer, but the way metallic conduction works, the conductivity tanks with even small amounts of impurities. As a result, copper wire must be very pure copper and I strongly doubt that there is significant gold in the alloy.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007