You combine crushed rock with water and cyanide. You double-check your notes, built on the wisdom of generations past. Eventually, you have liquid gold — and you have the power to turn it into solid gold whenever you want.

Are you a wizard? No — even better. You’re a hydrometallurgist.

Dr. Michael Moats explains what hydrometallurgy is, how it differs from traditional furnace-based methods and why it is a crucial process for producing the metals we rely on every day.