Dissolving copper minerals in acid I have copper minerals in rock that has been pulverized. These copper minerals are pure (native copper), chalcocite, chrysacolla, malachite, tenorite, cuprite and azurite. Does anyone know which acids will dissolve which minerals? I need this information as a lab has proposed to use $\ce{HF}$, $\ce{HNO3}$ and $\ce{HClO4}$ to perform an assay and I'm not sure it will work 100%.
If I remember correctly, we (an analytical laboratory) would generally get all copper minerals into solution using a nitric/perchloric digestion, depending on the sample matrix.  Unless the sample matrix as a whole were highly silicious in nature an additional HF digestion was not required. As commented above though, $\ce{HNO3/HF}$ may work for you also.