Patent ID: 7066981

Claim:
A method of assaying a mineral sample for determining the concentration of selected metals in a sample comprising the steps of: providing a separating vessel having an outlet duct which includes an inlet aperture, an outlet aperture and a linear passageway defined between said inlet and outlet apertures; providing a comminuted mineral sample; mixing the mineral sample with a flux which forms a collector material during fusion thereof; causing the mixture to fuse in the separating vessel whereby the mixture is transformed to a molten state to form a slag and to capture the metal to be assayed in the collector material; and separating the collector material from the slag by draining the collector material by force of gravity from the separating vessel through the linear passageway of the outlet duct while the slag remains within the separating vessel, the dimensions of the linear passageway proving the sole means which is sufficient to allow the collector material to drain therethrough by force of gravity but is sufficiently restricted to prevent the slag from draining therethrough by force of gravity, whereby the slag is retained within the separating vessel following separation of the collector material therefrom.