How is copper extracted from its ore?

Copper can be extracted from its ore by: Underground: sinking a vertical shaft into the Earth to an appropriate depth and driving horizontal tunnels into the ore. Open pit: 90\% of ore is mined by this method. Ores near the surface can be quarried after removal of the surface layers.

Why only more reactive metals are extracted using electrolysis?

Very reactive metals, such as aluminium, form stable oxides and other compounds. Electrolysis is commonly used to extract these metals and requires a lot of electric current (energy) to reduce them to extract the metal. Less reactive metals, such as iron, form less stable oxides and other compounds.

How is copper extracted from copper ore by reaction with carbon?

To extract copper, you mix copper oxide powder with carbon powder. You then heat the mixture strongly for a few minutes in a crucible. It is important to keep a lid on the crucible, otherwise the carbon will react with oxygen in the air, rather than with the copper oxide.

Why would it be too expensive to extract copper by the traditional method?

Copper is found in the Earth’s crust as an ore containing copper sulfide. where this ore was once quarried, are contaminated with low percentages of copper sulfide. Copper would be too expensive to extract from this contaminated land using the traditional method of quarrying and then heating in a furnace.

How is copper extracted from its ore write the steps involved with the relevant equations?

2Cu2S+3O2+heat→2Cu2O(s)+2SO2(g) 2Cu2O+Cu2S+heat→ 6Cu(s)+SO2(g) In electrolytic refining of copper, the impurities left behind at anode called anode mud contain valuable metals such as gold and silver which can be recovered in the native state.

Which metal is not extracted by electrolysis?

– Copper, silver and chromium have very high standard reduction potentials of +0.52V, +0.79V and +1.33V. – Therefore, the metal that cannot be obtained by electrolysis of an aqueous solution of its salt is calcium.

Why is carbon used to extract metals from their ores?

If a metal is less reactive than carbon, it can be extracted from its oxide by heating with carbon. The carbon displaces the metal from the compound, and removes the oxygen from the oxide. This leaves the metal.

Why is bioleaching used to extract copper from its ore?

Bioleaching. Certain bacteria can break down low-grade ores to produce an acidic solution containing copper ions. The solution is called a leachate and the process is called bioleaching .

How is copper extracted from electrolysis?

The impure copper from a smelter is cast into a block to form the positive anode. The cathode is made of previously purified copper. These are dipped into an electrolyte of copper(II) sulphate solution. When the d.c electrical current is passed through the solution electrolysis takes place.