Cuprum is the chemical element of the I group of periodic Mendeleev's system having atomic number 29 and atomic mass 63.546. Most often copper has the valency of II and I, is more rare – III and IV. In Mendeleev's system copper is located in the fourth period and also enters into the IB group. Here such metals of noble origin as gold (Au) and silver (Ag) enter. And now we will paint ways of receiving copper.
Instruction
1. Industrial receiving copper is a process difficult and multistage. The extracted metal is crushed, and then purified from dead rock by means of use of a floatation method of enrichment. Further the received concentrate (20-45% of copper) is exposed to roasting in the oven with air blasting. After roasting the candle end has to be formed. This such solid substance which contains in impurity of many metals. Melt a candle end in the reflective or electric furnace. After such melting besides slag the matte containing 40-50% of copper is formed.
2. Matte is exposed further to converting. It means that heated matte is blown by the air compressed and enriched with oxygen. Add quartz gumboil (SiO2 sand). When converting, undesirable sulfide of iron of FeS will pass into slag and will be emitted in the form of sulphurous SO2 gas. Sulfide of monovalent Cu2S copper will be oxidized at the same time. At the following step Cu2O oxide which will react with copper sulfide will be formed.
3. As a result of all described operations, draft copper will turn out. Content of the copper in it is about 98.5-99.3% on weight. Draft copper is exposed to refinement. This process at the first stage consists in melting of copper and transmission through the received oxygen fusion. The impurity of more active metals which are contained in copper immediately react with oxygen, passing immediately into oxidic slags.
4. In a final part of process of receiving copper it is exposed to electrochemical refinement in sulfur oxide solution. Draft copper at the same time is the anode, and cleaned – the cathode. Thanks to such cleaning drop out in a deposit of impurity of less active metals which were present at draft copper. Impurity of more active metals are forced to remain in electrolyte. It should be noted that purity of the copper cathode which went through all stages of cleaning reaches 99.9% and even more.