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CHM 104-Extraction of Metals. SUNNYWISE
CHM 104-Extraction of Metals. SUNNYWISE
CHM 104-Extraction of Metals. SUNNYWISE
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Flux
• Flux is any substance that is introduced in the smelting of ores to
promote fluidity and remove objectionable impurities in form of slag.
• Acidic and Basic fluxes
• Acidic: Used when gangue (impurity) is basic. Examples are silica,
borax
• SiO2 + CaO → CaSiO3
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What reductant?
• The nature of metal determines which reductants would be used.
• (i) Carbon and Carbon (II)oxide: Used for Fe, Cu, Pb, Sn, Co and
Zn
• Fe2O3 + 3C → 2Fe + 3CO
• Fe2O3 + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO2
• Co3O4 + 4C → 3Co + 4CO
o
•
140 C
• Co3O4 + 4CO → 3Co + 4CO2
PbO + C → Pb + CO
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Reduction process contd.
• Reduction with Aluminium, Sodium, magnesium or hydrogen:
Used for Cr, Ti, Mo and W
• Titanium chloride is heated to 850°C with Mg or Na in an atmosphere
of Argon, to produce titanium.
• TiCl4 + 2Mg → Ti + 2MgCl2
• Reduction of NiO
•
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Self reduction of sulphide ores
• Example: extraction of copper from its sulphide.
• Most Cu are obtained from ores e.g. Copper pyrites CuFeS2, Copper
glance Cu2S.
• Part of the sulphide is converted to Cu (I) oxide by roasting in air.
• (1) 2 Cu2S + 3O2 → 2Cu2O + 2SO2
• Copper (I) oxide
• When supply of air is cut off (absence of air) and temperature is
increased, the rest of sulphide (unchanged) reacts with the oxide to
form the metal and sulphur dioxide.
• Cu2S + 2Cu2O → 6Cu + SO2
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Self reduction of sulphide ores contd.
• 2) 2 CuFeS2 + 4O2 → Cu2S + 2FeO + 3SO2
• Product roasted with silica
• FeO + SiO2 → FeSiO3 (slag)
• Iron silicate
• Molten slag floats on the molten Cu2S and tapped off separately.
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Extraction of metals at the bottom of the
reactivity series
• Metals at the bottom of the reactivity series include Hg, Ag etc. They
can be extracted by heating the ore alone or displacement from aqueous
solution
• Heating the ore: Hg and Ag compounds are unstable and decompose
to the metal on heating
• HgS + O2 → Hg + SO2
(currambar)
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Extraction of metals at the bottom of the
reactivity series contd.
• Displacement from aqueous solution. The metal is precipitated
from a solution of its ion using a metal higher in the activity series e.g.
extraction of Ag.
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Purification of the metal
• Purification of the metal
• Metal obtained from the reduction of ore is usually contaminated with
impurities e.g. unchanged ore, other metals in the ore and non metals
(C, Si, P,S) from the anions of the ore, slag or flux. e.g. blister copper
contains small amount of Cu2S, Fe and S. It is purified by electrolysis
of CuSO4
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Extraction of Iron
• Occurrence: Iron is about 6.2% of the earth crusted rock. 4th most
abundant element and 2nd most abundant metal.
Preheating of lumps by hot gas from furnace to drive off H2O and
other volatile materials (impurities).
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The blast furnace
production of iron
(ii) Reduction of the iron oxide using
carbon in the presence of limestone in a
blast furnace.
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Extraction of Fe contd.
• C + O2 → CO2, ∆ H = – ve
• CO2 + C → 2CO
• As the Fe falls towards the base it is melted, flows to the hearth where
it is collected and tapped off every few hours.
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Extraction of Fe contd.
• Limestone helps in the extraction of impurities from the iron.
• At high temp in the furnace, the limestone decomposes into CaO and
CO2. CaO reacts with impurities in the iron.
• CaCO3 → CaO + CO2
• Slag flows to the bottom of the furnace where it floats on the molten
iron and tapped off at a different level separately from the iron.
• Slag is used for road making materials, cement and light weight building
materials.
• Iron obtained is not pure and it is called Pig iron. It is hard but brittle
and melts at 1500 K.
• Cast iron is formed when Pig iron is re-melted, mixed with scrap steel
and cooled in moulds.
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Extraction of Fe contd.
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Extraction of Aluminium
• Aluminium occurs majorly as bauxite(Al2O3.2H2O)
• Purification of bauxite:
• Impurities (e.g. SiO2, FeO) can impair the quality of Al, therefore must
be removed.
• Removed by heating ore with NaOH solution
SiO2(s) + 2OH-(aq) → SiO32-(aq) + H2O
Al2O3(s) + 2OH-(aq) → 2AlO2- (aq) + H2O
Al(OH)3 is precipitated out of solution by treating mixture of aluminate
and silica with acid
AlO2- + H3O+ → Al(OH)3(s)
• 2Al(OH)3 Δ→ Al2O3 + 3H2O
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Extraction of Aluminium contd.
Electrolysis of Al2O3
• Al2O3 is mixed with molten cryolite (NaAlF6) (lowers melting point of
Al2O3 and acts as solvent).
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