First define the test question
Before starting the experiment, it is necessary to determine what exactly needs to be found out. Different questions require different testwork schemes.
Checking JinChan
Does the selected JinChan mode work on the ore being researched?
JinChan optimization
How does the result change with a controlled change in one of the parameters under study?
Comparison with the current regime
How does JinChan perform relative to a reagent or regimen that the facility is already using?
JinChan vs NaCN
How do two reagents compare on the same prepared material?
Do not mix optimization test and direct comparative test: they answer different technological questions.
One original sample
For direct comparison, test materials must come from one representative original sample or from correctly prepared comparable portions of the material.
If Test A and Test B are performed on randomly selected pieces of heterogeneous ore, the difference in results may not be due to the reagent, but to the difference in the samples themselves. The methodological basis for representative metallurgical sampling and recovery testwork is outlined by Dominy et al. (2018).
Record the initial characteristics of the material
Before the test, the available source data is documented in an amount sufficient for the research task.
Identification
- object, deposit or sampling point;
- date or batch, if relevant.
Material
- ore, concentrate, tailings or other material;
- method of preparation.
Analytical data
- initial Au content;
- if present, Ag and other significant elements.
Preparation
- size and method of crushing or grinding;
- reduction and formation of samples.
A full multi-element assay, XRD or SEM may be useful for individual projects, but is not intended here as a universal requirement.
Do not compare two different ores like two reagents
Wrong
JinChan
Object A Ore → 90%
NaCN
Object B Ore → 92%
Correct direct comparison requires comparable portions of the same ore being tested.
Why does JinChan work differently on different ores?Two types of valid comparison test
Type A - identically specified external conditions
The goal is to see the behavior of two reagents in the most comparable formulation. Material, preparation, size, density, time and analytical points are recorded. Chemically specific parameters are not automatically declared the same if the reagents require different operating conditions.
Type B - optimized mode for each reagent
First, for each reagent, a suitable regime is experimentally determined on one ore. The best confirmed modes are then compared.
“Same conditions” and “best regime for each reagent” answer different questions.
What the manufacturer JinChan says directly
Guangxi Senhe official instructions recommend conducting a beneficiation test and determining suitable conditions for a particular material. During operation, the manufacturer recommends monitoring the pH, JinChan concentration and gold content in the productive solution.
The general operating range given in the official JinChan instructions.
This is not automatically the optimal mode for a particular ore.What to record for each test
| Parameter | Test A | Test B |
|---|---|---|
| Test portion ID | fixed | fixed |
| Reagent | fixed | fixed |
| Size | fixed | fixed |
| Pulp Density | fixed | fixed |
| pH | measured | measured |
| Reagent concentration | set and controlled | set and controlled |
| Duration | fixed | fixed |
| Total consumption | calculated based on actual addition | calculated based on actual addition |
| Au in solution | analyzed | analyzed |
| Au remaining | analyzed | analyzed |
Specified ≠ actually received
Set
What the technologist planned to support in the experience program.
Measured
What was actually observed and recorded during the test.
It is not enough to write down just the target pH. The measured values are documented in accordance with the test program. Similarly, the calculated and actually applied amount of JinChan, as well as the specified and actual concentration are distinguished.
The technological conclusion is based on the actual mode, and not just on the experimental plan.
Do I need to change one parameter at a time?
To study the influence of a particular parameter, comparable tests are useful, where the variable under study changes in a controlled manner.
Test A
Baseline concentration of JinChan tested.
Test B
Changed tested concentration of JinChan; the remaining essential conditions are as comparable as possible.
This helps to isolate the influence of the parameter under study from changing the entire circuit at the same time, but does not mean that any professional Design of Experiments is obliged to change exactly one variable.
What to analyze during and after the test
Source material
- Head Au.
Solution
- Au;
- indicators of the regime according to the test program.
Solid residue
- residual Au.
Extended program
- additional elements;
- kinetic points and additional flows.
Why recovery alone is not enough
A high final recovery does not show what the reagent consumption was, how quickly the process proceeded, how consistent head, solution and residue are, whether the result is reproducible and what actual parameters were maintained.
High recovery without mode context is an incomplete testwork result.
A mandatory universal material balance coefficient is not assigned in this article.
Repeatability and QA/QC
If the conclusion is of technological significance, the quality of sample preparation and analytical data must be appropriate to the purpose of the study. Parallel or repeated tests may be used to assess the variability of the result.
Dominy et al. (2018) and Dominy & Glass (2025) emphasize representative sampling, QA/QC, head grade and documented testwork, but the parameters of specific case studies are not a universal protocol.
The number of replications and the quality control program are determined by the purpose of the study and the required confidence in the result.
Direct Scientific Example of Comparison Test
Yılmaz & Sayın studied JinChan and NaCN on two separate gold-bearing ores — Çukuralan and Kaymaz. A separate series of leaching tests was performed for each material.
Second scientific example - several types of raw materials
Deng, Schwehr, Yang and Oraby performed a comparative study of cyanide, JinChan and GlyCat™ on several materials, including Au–Ag ore, Au–Cu ore and Au–Cu flotation tailings.
The comparative result must be related to the specific type of material examined.
From the publication, only the methodological conclusion about several types of raw materials is used. Numbers that cannot be verified in full text and GlyCat-specific results are not shown here.
Deng et al., Hydrometallurgy, 2026How to Compare Multiple Dosages of JinChan
Mode A
- lower test concentration
Mode B
- basic study mode
Mode C
- higher test concentration
- kinetics
- Au in solution
- Au remaining
- actual consumption
How to compare JinChan with the current enterprise mode
If the enterprise already uses a certain technology, the current mode can be documented as a reference. The source material, ore preparation, operating mode parameters, analytical results and actual consumption are recorded.
The JinChan test is then performed on comparable material. The actual consumption of NaCN or other reagent does not automatically become the consumption of JinChan.
What errors make the comparison less reliable?
- Various starting samples
Actually different materials are compared. - Unknown head grade
There is no reliable starting point. - Various sample preparation
One material is crushed differently. - Actual pH is not recorded
Only the set value is known. - Reagent consumption is not controlled
Only the initial load is known. - Only the solution is analyzed
No data on solid residue. - One test is declared universal
The result of one sample is transferred to the entire object.
Such differences reduce the reliability of technology comparisons, but are not used here as automatically invalidating any test.
What should be included in the final protocol
Initial data
- material identification;
- Au head;
- preparation and size.
Test conditions
- reagent and concentration;
- pH, density and duration;
- actual addition of the reagent.
Analytics
- Au in solution;
- Au in the remainder;
- additional data if necessary.
Result
- recovery;
- reagent consumption and kinetics, if studied;
- comments on the experiment.
Conclusion
- what exactly this test showed;
- which requires the following verification.
What not to write in conclusion
Output too wide
“JinChan is working in the field” - only on the basis of one laboratory sample.
Correct output limit
“In the sample studied under a fixed mode, such and such a result was obtained; further verification is determined by the purpose of the program.”
The laboratory test does not guarantee industrial recovery, consumption or economic effect.
From laboratory testing to industrial testingPractical checklist before the start
Before starting testwork, it is useful to check that the program can answer the question posed.
- Goal defined
- Sample identified
- Material prepared
- Head grade known
- Comparable samples were formed
- The studied parameters are recorded
- Analytical scheme defined
- Residue analysis provided
- Accounting for actual consumption is provided
- Acceptable output limits defined
The absence of a particular item does not automatically disable the test: it indicates what limitation should be taken into account when interpreting.
Test A
JinChan / Mode A
Test B
JinChan / mode B or reference reagent
- pH
- concentration
- time
- reagent consumption
DO YOU HAVE AN ORE SAMPLE?
Discuss a Comparative Test Program
Using the available source data and sample information, we can define the comparison objective, test regimes and analytical checkpoints.
Sources
- Official manufacturer's instructionsGuangxi Senhe High Technology Co., Ltd. JIN CHAN Metallic Ore Dressing Agent — Instructions for useBeneficiation test recommendations, control of pH, concentration of JinChan and gold in the productive solution, as well as a general pH range of 11–12 were used.
- Representativeness and recovery testworkDominy S.C. et al. Towards Representative Metallurgical Sampling and Gold Recovery Testwork Programmes. Minerals, 2018, 8, 193.DOI: 10.3390/min8050193
- Geometallurgical sampling and QA/QCDominy S.C., Glass H.J. Geometallurgical Sampling and Testwork for Gold Mineralisation: General Considerations and a Case Study. Minerals, 2025, 15, 370.The parameters of the Beatons Creek case study were not carried forward as norms.
- Direct comparison of JinChan and NaCNYılmaz H., Sayın Z.E. Effect of Sodium Cyanide and Jin Chan Chemicals on Gold Gain from Ore. Journal of Polytechnic, 2024, 27(4), 1387–1397.Only a methodological example of individual testwork series for Çukuralan and Kaymaz was used.
- Comparative study of several materialsDeng Z., Schwehr B.J., Yang A., Oraby E.A. A comparative study of cyanide, Jinchan, and GlyCat™ for gold ore leaching. Hydrometallurgy, 244 (2026), 106799.GlyCat-specific data and unvalidated numeric values were not carried over.