A chlorination process for recovering gold from its ore. For each ton (0.9 t) of ore in a revolving drum, 130 gal (492 L) of water, 30 lb (13.6 kg) of lime chloride, and 36 lb (16.3 kg) of concentrated sulfuric acid are added, and the drum is revolved for some time. A solution of gold chloride is thus obtained.