quantitative results are not measured in terms of grams but by purity . for example, 10% au, 50% silver, aluminum 30% and 10% lead. it is not by grams.
moreover, the sample was indicated as 3.8 grams , and the total result of the grams for the result (au, pt, etc) was 4.171grams. how come these data did not add up?
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Actually QUANTITATIVE means Quantity as in grams while QUALITATIVE means in Quality as in purity or how good it is. The quality of the item. An assayer does not have to be certified or licensed other than having a business license, if the assayer does it for profit. A Certified Laboratory has to be licensed and meet some set of standards of proof of ability to do what they claim. A certified laboratory can issue a declaration of testing and found results based upon using a set of regulated industry standards they are proven to be able to meet and declare they have done so.
I personally have been an assayer since 1981 and back then specialized in complex metallic ore's such as sulfides and in particular tellurium complex ore's. No, I am not now or ever been licensed as a business other than for profit. There is no certification for assayer's. But I do have a degree in Chemistry.
Depending on how an analysis is performed, it IS possible to have the total resultant weight greater than the testing sample, IF it is a complexing analysis. Say the gold is a mining sample of a button from a melt down. That will contain copper, iron, nickle, silver and platinum as well as other possibilities. One way to do the wet chemical separation is by precipitating out the various components with a salt. For example, gold is pulled out as gold chloride, silver is pulled out as silver chloride and so on. Since the way of making the precipitate come out is by making the dissolved gold fall out by combining with chlorine, the combined weight of the gold chloride is greater than the gold alone. Same for the other elements. If the weighing is done on the gold chloride and others, the combined weight will be greater than the initial sample. But knowing the molecular weight of gold chloride and of gold element, one can back calculate the net weight of the gold alone. But for mining purposes the lab tech would only look for what is requested and if you ask for only the precious metals then that is what he will pull out. So the resulting numbers is what you ask for, not everything that is there at the start.
All depends how the testing laboratory does it. But in this case I suspect the report you posted is just that, a bulllshit report.
Just so you know.
Z
