The process of extraction of copper varies depending of what ore, copper is being extracted from. Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) is a sulphide ore and it is one the most common ores of copper. The process of extracting copper from chalcopyrite is a quite complex procedure in which both physical and chemical processes are involved.
As chalcopyrite is around 0.5% copper and 99.5% “unwanted rocky material”, the first step to extract copper from chalcopyrite is to increase the concentration of copper in the ore to high enough levels by getting rid of as much of the ‘unwanted rocky material’. This can be done by a physical process called ‘froth flotation’.
The process of ‘froth flotation’ is quite simple and requires little energy. The process is as follows:
1. The ore is
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A substance is added to the crushed ore. This substance attaches only to the metal compound particles and gives them a hydrophobic (water repellent) property. For copper, this substance is often pine oil.
3. The ore is then put into a large bath containing water and a foaming agent. Air is blown inside to make bubbles.
4. Because the compound’s particles are hydrophobic, the bubbles will be able to catch them and bring them afloat where they can flow out from the bath while the unwanted rocky material stays in the bath.
5. The ore now contains around 30% copper and it is ready to be smelted. This ore is called “concentrated ore”
Once the ore has been concentrated it is put inside a furnace where it is mixed with sand and oxygen. The temperature inside the furnace is risen up to around 1000oC and oxygen is blown inside. Due to the intense heat inside the furnace, the following things happen:
The copper(II) ions in the chalcopyrite are reduced to copper(I) sulphide
The iron in the chalcopyrite reacts with the sand and it is converted into an iron (II) silicate slag which floats on the copper (I) sulphide and is discarded.
Most of the sulphur in the chalcopyrite is converted into sulphur dioxide
It is a chemical reaction where the colors of both solution and iron strip changed. It is
gas bubbles serves as evidence that the catalase enzyme is working. As catalase is breaking the
I did see occasional bubbles, which could be due to the slight chemical reaction of the two chemicals. However, it was obviously not as strong as with the salt since the salt changed
In this task the concentration of an unknown sample of copper sulphate using colorimetry was used to find the concentration. In this investigation copper sulphate was used which is CuSO4.5H20 as a formula. To make a standard solution which was 1M, the same clean equipment was used to make up the standard solution as used to make sodium carbonate. However there was one difference and that was that the hot distilled water was used to dissolve the copper sulphate crystals. There had to be enough hot water in order to dissolve the crystals into the beaker and then add cold distilled water to cool the solution.
Washing of the copper is necessary in this experiment to separate the iron from the copper and make sure the iron is not counted in the mass of the copper.
The Cu Later lab experiment is designed to allow you to practice lab skills in implementing and performing a series of reactions. Specifically, four types of chemical reactions will occur: oxidation/reduction; double replacement; single replacement; and decomposition. You will begin with a known amount of copper metal, which, after progressing through several steps, is reproduced. In this experiment you will observe and record the various changes such as heat, color changes, and production that occur. This procedure is used to observe some chemical reactions of copper and its compounds while also performing the lab appropriately as to retain the copper as much as
The purpose of this lab was to determine the limiting reactant in a reaction between copper sulfate and iron. Using the reaction between copper sulfate and iron, the reaction was observed to see the reaction and transformation of matter. The copper sulfate was placed into a beaker, as the excess reactant, then iron filings added until the heated solution was completely reacted. This reaction created an excess of leftover. The law of conservation of mass can be observed in this reaction, and using the data found, the percent yield calculated.
The first reaction involves pyrite rock reacting with oxygen (air) and water to produce dissolved ferrous iron, sulfate, and acidity. The second reaction oxidizes the dissolved ferrous iron in acidic conditions and produces ferric iron and water. The third reaction involves the hydrolysis of the ferric iron to form ferric hydroxide and more acid. The ferric hydroxide is the orangey-red colored solid you see in the water (Juniata College).
The Copper Cycle is a popular experiment used to determine if an element, in this instance, copper, reverts to its elemental form after a chain of reactions. This experiment is very dangerous because of the reactions between the strong acids and bases. In this experiment I performed a series of reactions starting with copper metal and nitric acid to form copper (II) nitrate. Then I reacted copper and several other solutions such as, sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, ammonium hydroxide, and hydrochloric acid to form precipitates. In conclusion my percent recovery
Refer to the reaction of iron nails with a copper solution assignment in Module 3, Section assignment 3.4 Part F of the Chemistry 11 course.
Purpose: The purpose of this experiment was to observe the many physical and chemical properties of copper as it undergoes a series of chemical reactions. Throughout this process, one would also need to acknowledge that even though the law of conservation of matter/mass suggests that one should expect to recover the same amount of copper as one started with, inevitable sources of error alter the results and produce different outcomes. The possible sources of error that led to a gain or loss in copper are demonstrated in the calculation of percent yield (percent yield= (actual yield/theoretical yield) x 100.
The lab performed required the use of quantitative and analytical analysis along with limiting reagent analysis. The reaction of Copper (II) Sulfate, CuSO4, mass of 7.0015g with 2.0095g Fe or iron powder produced a solid precipitate of copper while the solution remained the blue color. Through this the appropriate reaction had to be determined out of the two possibilities. Through the use of a vacuum filtration system the mass of Cu was found to be 2.1726g which meant that through limiting reagent analysis Fe was determined to be the limiting reagent and the chemical reaction was determined to be as following:-
As the water filters downward the warmer igneous rocks surrounding heats and removes the impurities. As the process continues, the water dissolves the minerals in the rocks leaving a very mineral rich heated flow (Fellowes, 1968). A geochemical analysis of the 28 wells ranging from the Quartz, Shale, and Hot Springs Formations, as well as the Little Missouri and Caddo Gap Springs return high levels of minerals Calcium, Sodium, Bicarbonate, Chloride, Silica, Sulfate, Aluminum, Barium, Lithium, Iron, Manganese, and Strontium (Kresse and Hay, 2009).
Have you ever wondered why do bath bombs fizz? Well bath bombs have a chemical inside so once it hits the water it reacts. “For example when the bath bomb hits the water it sets off a chemical reaction between citric acid and the bicarbonate of soda. During the reaction,
On the surface, the plant converts trona ore to soda ash. They use a multi step cleaning process. The trona ore is first crushed and screened to prepare for processing. A kiln heats the crushed trona to drive off gases. This process changes ore to sodium carbonate. It is combined with water and filtered to remove pollution. The water is taken out, which forms a soda ash crystal slurry. Than it is put into a machine to remove the rest of the water. Then they are sent to round dryers. The dried product is stored in bins, until shipped by trucks or rail cars.