Which of the following processes is required for extracting metal from...
To extract metal from cinnabar ore, the process of roasting is required.
Roasting:
- Roasting is a process in which the ore is heated in the presence of excess air or oxygen.
- It is usually carried out in a furnace or kiln.
- The purpose of roasting is to convert the ore into an oxide form, which can then be easily reduced to obtain the metal.
- In the case of cinnabar ore, which is mercury sulfide (HgS), roasting is necessary to convert it into mercury oxide (HgO).
Steps in the Roasting Process:
1. Crushing and Grinding: The cinnabar ore is first crushed and ground to a fine powder to increase its surface area for better reaction with oxygen during roasting.
2. Heating: The powdered ore is then heated in a furnace or kiln. The temperature and duration of heating may vary depending on the specific ore and desired end product.
3. Oxidation: As the ore is heated, the sulfur in cinnabar combines with oxygen from the air to form sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas. This is known as the oxidation of sulfur.
- HgS + O2 → HgO + SO2
4. Reduction: The mercury oxide (HgO) formed in the previous step is then reduced to obtain metallic mercury (Hg).
- HgO → Hg + O2
- The reduction is usually carried out in a separate furnace or retort, where the mercury vaporizes and can be collected and condensed.
Importance of Roasting:
- Roasting is an important step in the extraction of metals from their ores as it helps in the conversion of the ore into a suitable form for further processing.
- In the case of cinnabar ore, roasting is necessary to convert mercury sulfide into mercury oxide, which can then be reduced to obtain metallic mercury.
- Without the roasting process, it would be difficult to extract mercury from cinnabar ore.
Other Processes:
- Electrolytic reduction, thermit process, and calcination are not suitable for extracting metal from cinnabar ore.
- Electrolytic reduction is used for extracting metals like aluminum and magnesium from their oxides.
- The thermit process is used for reducing metal oxides using aluminum as a reducing agent.
- Calcination is a process of heating the ore in the absence of air to remove volatile impurities or to convert it into a more stable oxide form.
Which of the following processes is required for extracting metal from...
- Mineral: A naturally occurring substance with uniform chemical composition is called a mineral.
- Ore: An ore is a mineral from which a metal can be extracted in a profitable way.
According to the reactivity of metals, different methods are employed to extract metals from their ores.
Reactivity series of metals:
- Metals of high reactivity; such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, aluminium, etc. are extracted from their ores by electrolytic reduction.
- Metals of middle reactivity, Iron, zinc, lead, etc. are found in the form of carbonate or sulfide ores. They are either calcinated or roasted.
- Metals of least reactivity, Mercury and copper, which belong to the least reactivity series, are often found in the form of their sulfide ores. They are roasted and then refined.
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