General Principles and Process of Isolation of elements

1. Mineral: - Natural substance obtained from earth crust.

2. Ore: - Minerals by which metal can be extracted profitably.
3. Gangue: - Undesirable rocky material which weted by water and settle.
4. Slag: - Impurity of iron. Calcium silicate CaO + SiO
2
CaSiO
3
(Float)?
5. Ore of Iron: - Haemetite Fe
2
O
3
, Magnetite Fe
3
O
4
, Iron Pyrites Fe
2
S, Siderite FeCO
3
Copper: - Copper pyrites CuFeS
2
, Malachite CuCO
3
, Cuperite Cu
2
O, Copper glance Cu
2
S
Zinc: - Zinc blende ZnS, Calamite ZnCO
3
, Zincate ZnO
6. Froth floatation process: - Sulphide ore is powdered in mixture in mixture in collector (pine oil and
fatty acid) stabilizer (cresols, aniline). Mineral wetted with water and float, gangue wetted with water
and settle down.
7. Depresant: - Use to separate two sulphide ore. NaCN depresant use to separate ZnS and PbS. PbS
comes with froth.
8. Leaching:- Chemical process to concentrate ore.
(i) Leaching alumina (Al
2
O
3
) done by bauxite ore with NaOH.
(Bauxite) Al
2
O
3
+ 2NaOH +3H
2
O -----------------> 2Na[Al(OH)
4
](aq) {at 473-523K and 35-36bar}
2Na[Al(OH)
4
] ----------------> Al
2
O
3
{ Heating}
(ii) Leaching Ag and Au done by KCN/NaCN
Impure 8Au/Ag + 8CN
-
+ 2H
2
O + O
2
-------> 4[Ag/Au (CN)
2
]
-
+ 4OH
-

2[Ag/Au (CN)
2
]
-
+ Zn ----> [Zn(CN)
4
]
2-
+ 2Ag/Au (Pure)
9. Calcination :- Heating of carbonate in absence of air.
ZnCO
3
-------ZnO + CO
2
10. Roasting:- Heating of sulphide ore with air.
2ZnS + 3O
2
---2ZnO + 2SO
2
2Cu
2
S + 3O
2
---2Cu
2
O + 2SO
2
11. Pyrometallurgy:- Conversion of metal oxide into metal by heating with reducing agent is called
pyrometallurgy.
M
2
O
3
+ C/CO ------------> M + CO/CO
2
Two reactions are coupled such that G = -ve
It is done using Ellingum diagram.
11. Ellingum diagram:- (i) It is graph b/w G and temp.
(ii) Metal oxide of upper line is reduced by metal oxide of lower line.
(iii) At point of intersection both metal oxide are unstable.
12. Extraction of Iron: - The charge (ore + coke + limestone) is put in blast furnace. Reaction takes place
as follow.
at bottom (High temp) FeO + C ---> Fe + CO
at top (low temp) Fe
2
O
3
/Fe
3
O
4
+ CO ----> Fe + CO
2
Impurity remove as slag
CaCO
3
----> CaO + CO
2
CO
2
+ C ----> 2CO (exothermic reaction produce heat)
CaO + SiO
2
---------> CaSiO
3
13. Pig iron : - obtained from blast furnace contain 4% C,S, Si, Mn
Cast iron : - Heating pig iron + scrape Fe + coke. Contain 3% - C hard
Wrought :- Obtained by heating cast iron + C + CaCO
3
in reverbary furnace
14. Extraction of copper:- (i) Ore is heated with SiO
2
to remove Fe.
from Copper pyrites FeO + SiO
2
----> FeSiO
3
(Slag)
(ii) The pure sulphide ore is heated with air
Cu
2
S + 3O
2
----> 2Cu
2
O + 2SO
2
/ 2Cu
2
O + Cu
2
S ---> 6Cu + SO
2
Copper obtained by this method is called blister copper.
15. Extraction of Zn:- Zn is distilled and collected by chilling.
16. Electrochemical process:- It is based on principle G = -nFE
0
or reduce by more reactive metal.
17. Extraction of Aluminium :- Hall-Haroult process Aluminium is obtained by alumina is special cell.
Cryolite Na3AlF6 is added to reduce m.p of alumina and increase conductivity. Reaction follow
Al
2
O
3
-------> 2Al
3+
+ 2O
2-
At cathode Al
3+
+ 3e
-
---> Al (liquid drain) at anode :- O
2-
------> 1/2O
2
+ 2e
-

Graphite rod C + O
2
----> CO
2
18. Hydrometallurgy:- Metal salt (in aq) is reduce by reactive metal or H
2
. Cu obtained from low grade
ore
salt dissolved in H
2
SO
4
Cu
2+
+ Fe/H
2
-----> Cu(s) + 2H
+
/ Fe
2+
19. Extraction based on oxidation:- Extraction of Cl
2
from brine (NaCl) molten or aq.NaCl ----> Na
+
+ Cl
-
NaOH + H
2
-------> H
2
O + Na
20. Refining: -
(i) Distillation : - for metal having low m.p. Zn/Hg
(ii) Liquation : - for metal having low m.p. Sn
(iiii) Electrolysis Cu/Zn
(iv) Zone refining (Ge, Si, B, Ga, In) It is based on principle that pure metal crystalises first and
impurity move with heater.

(v) Vapour phase refining: - It is base on principle that metal combine with I
2
/CO then on heating
decompose to pure metal.
(vi) Monds process: - Ni (impure) + 4CO ---
330-350K
------> Ni(CO)
4
Ni(CO)4 ---
450-470K
-------> Ni (pure) + 4CO
(vii) Van Arkel Process :- for Zr
Zr (impure) + + 2I
2
-------> ZrI
4
ZrI
4
------
tungesten filament, 1800K
-------> Zr (pure) + 2I
2