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METALLURGY :
Steps involved in the extraction of metal from ore.

Minerals: Elements or compounds which occurs naturally in the earth’s

crust is called minerals.
Ores: Minerals which contain a high percent of particular metal and the
metal can be profitably and conveniently extracted are called ores.
Eg: Fe2O3 (heamatite).

Ores are of 4 types:

1. Oxide ores (MO where ‘M’ is a divalent metal)
Fe2O3
Al2O3.
MnO2
2. Carbonate Ores (MCO3) – where ‘M’ is a divalent metal)
ZnCO3
CaCO3
PbCO3 - Lead carbonate
3. Sulphide Ores ( MS ) - where ‘M’ is a divalent metal)
PbS
ZnS
HgS
4. Halide ores
NaCl -Rock salt / common salt.
MgCl2, CaCl2
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OCCURRENCE OF METAL
 Metals which are very low in the reactivity series are found in the free
state (non-combined state) in the earth’s crust. This is called native
state of metal.
E.g.: Pt, Au, Ag and Cu
But Cu and Ag are also found in combined state.
 Metals of medium reactivity and high reactivity always occur in combined
form as ores. These Ores are manly oxides, sulphides or carbonates.
 Most metals exist as oxides in the earth’s crust because Oxygen is a
very reactive element and it is very abundant in the earth.
Metallurgy
The various processes involved in the extraction of pure metal from its
impure ore is called metallurgy. When ores are obtained from the earth’s
crust, they are mixed with impurities like sand, mud, stones etc which are
called gangue.
Step1: Concentration of Ore (Enrichment)
The impure ore is subjected to physical processes, chemical processes to
remove the gangue. This step is called concentration, dressing or
enrichment of ore.
Calcination:
The strong heating of carbonate ore in limited supply of air to convert the
carbonate to metal oxide is called calcination. It is easier to extract the
metal from oxide than from carbonate. Also, it expels moisture from
hydrated ores.
MCO 3 heat → MO + CO2
CaCO 3 heat → CaO + CO2
ZnCO 3 heat → ZnO + CO2
PbCO 3 heat → PbO + CO2
Roasting :
Strong heating of sulphide ore, in the presence of excess air to convert the
sulphide into metal oxide because it is easy to extract the metal from oxide
than from sulphide. Roasting also helps to expel volatile impurities present
in the ore.
2MS + 3O 2 → 2MO + 2SO2
2ZnS + 3O 2 → 2ZnO + 2SO2
2PbS + 3O 2 → 2PbO + 2SO2
(Roasting of HgS and Cu2S are special, discussed later)
Step II: Reduction
The process of converting metal oxides or chlorides into metal is
called reduction. Depending on the nature of the metal, three
methods are used.
a) Electrolytic reduction:
This method is used to reduce oxides and chlorides of highly reactive metals
like NaCl, MgCl2,
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Reduction of NaCl to Na

Cathode (reduction) Na+ + e- → Na

Anode (oxidation) 2Cl– → Cl2 +2e-

Reduction of MgCl2 to Mg.

Cathode: Mg2+ + 2é → Mg
–
Anode : 2Cl → Cl2 + 2é
b) Reduction using heat and reducing agent :
Oxides of medium reactive metals are reduced using heat and reducing
agent like carbon (coke).
ZnO + C → Zn + CO
PbO + C → Pb + CO

 Besides carbon, some times displacement reactions are used to reduce

metal oxides to metal.
 Highly reactive metals like sodium, calcium, aluminium etc can be used
as reducing agents because they can displace metals of lower reactivity
from their compounds.
 These displacement reactions are highly exothermic. The heat evolved is
so large that the metal is produced in molten state.
3MnO2 + 4Al → 3Mn + 2Al2O3 + heat

Reduction of Fe2O3 with Al is so highly exothermic that iron metal is

obtained in molten state. So, this reaction is used to join railway tracks or
cracked machine parts. This reaction is called thermite process.
Fe2O3 + Al→ 2Fe + 2Al2O3 + heat

c) Reduction by heat:
Oxides of less reactive metals like HgO get reduced by heat alone.
2HgO →2Hg + O2
StepIV: Refining(purification) of impure metals:
The process of converting impure metal to pure metal is called refining or
purification. The most common method is electrolytic refining used for Cu,
Ag, Au, Tin, Zn, Ni ..etc.
Electrolytic refining of metal: The process of refining an impure
metal by electrolysis is called electrolytic refining.
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 The arrangement consist of impure metal (impure Cu) as anode, a thin

strip of pure metal as cathode and salt solution of the metal (CuSO4)
as the electrolyte.
 When electricity is passed through the electrolyte pure metal from the
anode move into solution as metal ion (Cu²+) an equal amount of metal
ion (Cu²+) move from the solution to the cathode and gets reduced to
deposit at cathode. At the ends of electrolysis pure metal is obtained at
cathode.
Anode:
Cu → Cu² + + 2e-
Cathode:
Cu² + + 2e- → Cu
Reactive impurities like iron remain dissolved in the solution.
Insoluble impurities like gold, silver etc. settle at the bottom of the anode
and is called anode mud.

Extraction of metals high up in the reactive series

These metals are very reactive. They cannot be obtained from their
compounds by heating with reducing agent (Carbon etc). So, they are
extracted by electrolytic reduction of their molten chlorides or oxides.
1. Eg:
1. Oxides of Na, Mg, Ca, Al etc. cannot be reduced to metals using coke.
This is because these metals have greater affinity for Oxygen than
carbon. Hence, these oxides are reduced electrolytically.
2Al2O3 electrolytic reduction→ 4Al+3O2
2. Extraction of Na from NaCl by electrolytic reduction

Cathode (reduction) Na+ + e- → Na

Anode (oxidation) 2Cl– → Cl2 +2e-

3. Extracting Mg from MgCl2

Cathode: Mg2+ + 2é → Mg
–
Anode : 2Cl → Cl2 + 2é
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Extraction of metal low in activity series

If a metal ‘M’ is less reactive and is at the bottom of activity series then the
oxide of these metals are reduced by heating alone.
E.g.:
1. Extraction of Hg from cinnabar.
Cinnabar (HgS) when roasted changes into metal oxide, HgO, which get
reduced to Hg due to heat.
2HgS + 3O2 → 2HgO + 2SO2
2HgO → 2Hg + O 2
2. Extraction of copper from Cu2S, ( Copper (I)sulphide)
Cu2S is roasted in presence of air to form Cu2O which then react with Cu2S
to form copper. It is further refined by electrolytic refining. (Explain with fig)
2Cu 2S + 3O2 → 2Cu2O + 2SO2
Cu 2S + 2Cu2O → 6Cu + SO2
Extraction of metals in middle of reactivity series
These metals may be generally carbonate or suphide ores. (but they also
exist as oxides).
1. If it is a carbonate, it is calcinated (strong heating in insufficient air) to
change it into metal oxide because it is easy to extract the metal from
oxide than from carbonate.
ZnCO3 → ZnO + CO2
PbCO3 → PbO + CO2
2. If it is a suphide ore then it is roasted (strong heating in the presence of
excess air) to convert it into metal oxide because it is easy to extract the
metal from oxides than from sulphides.
2ZnS + 3O2 → 2ZnO + 2SO2
2PbS + 3O2 → 2PbO + 2SO2
The metal oxide obtained by calcinations or roasting is reduced to metal by
using reducing agent like coke or a reactive metal like Na, Al.
ZnO + C → Zn + CO
PbO + C → Pb + CO

Fe2O3 + 2Al → Al2O3 + 2Fe +heat

3 MnO2 + 4Al → 2 Al2O3 + 3Mn + heat

Q. An ore on heating strongly gives out CO 2 gas. An ore on treatment

with dilute acids gives CO 2 gas. What is the ore? How do you extract
pure metal from this ore?
Ans:
This ore is a carbonate ore MCO3, where M is a divalent metal (eg: ZnCO3 )
Step1:
Dressing or concentration of ore is done by suitable method is to remove the
gangue from impure ore.
Step 2: Calcination:
The strong heating of carbonate ore in limited supply or absence of air to
convert the carbonate to metal oxide is called calcinations. It is easier to
extract the metal from oxide than from carbonate.
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MCO 3 heat → MO + CO2

ZnCO 3 heat → ZnO + CO2
Step 3: Reduction
The metal oxide obtained after calcinations is reduced to metal by using
reducing agent and heat.
MO + C → M + CO
ZnO + C → Zn + CO
Step 4: Refining
The impure metal obtained above is refined by suitable process like
electrolytic refining etc; to get pure metal.

QUESTION:
1. An ore on treatment with dilute hydrochloric acid gives a pungent
smelling gas, H2S. Identify the ore and explain the extraction of pure
metal from its impure ore.
2. An ore on strong heating in air produce SO 2 gas. Identify the ore and
explain the extraction of pure metal from its impure ore.