Extracting copper Flashcards
Copper-rich ore
From where we extract most of the copper. These are limited source and are in danger of running out.
Two main methods to obtain copper from the ore
- use sulfuric acid to produce copper sulfate solution, before extracting the copper metal
- smelting-heat copper ore very strongly with air to produce copper metal
Copper mining has a negative impact on…
the environment.
A cathode electrode is made of…
pure copper.
The half-equation at the cathode
Cu2+(aq)+ 2e- = Cu(s)
The half-equation at the anode
Cu(s)= Cu2+(aq) + 2e-
Thermal decomposition (smelting) is used to extract copper from…
melted chalcocite. Equation:
copper (l) sulfide + oxygen = copper + sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide causes
acid rains. Therefore, it is neutralised in chimneys or used to make sulfuric acid.
Electrolysis is used to…
make pure copper.
Smelting produces very…
impure copper.
An anode electrode is made of…
impure copper.
In this process of electrolysis…
atoms from impure electrode move through the solution, containing copper ions, to the pure electrode.
The anode gets…
smaller as atoms move to the cathode.
Copper from copper sulfate can be extracted by…(displacement)
adding scrap iron. Iron is more reactive than copper, so it can displace copper from its solution. (Displacement)
Phytomining
Uses plants to absorb metal compounds and then the plants are burned to produce ash, containing the metal compound.
Low-grade ore
Heps of previously discarded waste from processing of copper-rich ores.
The ash containing copper is…
dissolved in sulfuric acid and this makes the copper ions leach, producing leachate solution.
Copper can be extracted from copper sulfate by…
electrolysis or adding a scrap metal(displacement)
Bioleaching
Bacteria feed on low-grade metal ores. These bacteria are then used to produce leachate solutions that contain metal compounds.
Recycling of metals
It is important to recycle metals because extracting them uses limited sources, expensive in terms of energy and it is harmful to the environment.
