Zinc powder is a very popular reagent in the #IndustriaMinera, it is present in the #MerrillCrowe metallurgical extraction process, named after its creators Charles Merril and Thomas Crowe around the year 1900. 

The main objective of this process is to obtain the highest number of values once the precipitates of this process have melted and also to minimize the amount of values in the slags. During this process, zinc powder is added that carries out a chemical reaction of oxidation/reduction, where gold coats the zinc particles, along with other compounds such as silver. 

Subsequently, the solution is passed through filters to obtain the gold and silver precipitate, which will be melted. It is then sent to induction furnaces where it is melted to separate the gold and silver values from other base metals. 

The final product called Dore is poured into molds where it is left to cool and then demolded into bars.