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1.

The scientific and technological processes used for isolation of the metal from its ore is known as metallurgy.a) Name the method used for removing gangue from suiphide ores.b) Explain the above method.c) Give two examples for alloy steel.

Answer»

a) Froth floatation method

b) It is used for removing gangue from suiphide ores. The mineral particles become wet by oils while the gangue particles by water. Finely powdered ore is agitated with water containing little frothing agent (e.g. pine oil) and froth stabilizers (e.g. cresols) by passing a forceful current of air. Heavier gangue particles are left to the bottom. The froth is skimmed off and then dried.

c)

  • Stainless steel (Fe-74%, Cr-18%, Ni-8%)
  • Nickel steel (Fe-96%, Ni-4%)
2.

Differentiate Cast Iron and pig iron.

Answer»

1. Cast iron :

  • It is a form of iron obtained from pig iron.
  • lt has 3% carbon content.

2. Pig iron :

  • It is the least pure form of iron obtained directly from the blast furnace.
  • It contains about 4% carbon and many impurities in smaller amount.  
3.

Some data are given below :(Iron tank, Carbon lining, Cryolite, Carbon blocks, Electricity)1. Identify the metal whose metallurgy is associated here.2. Explain the extraction of this metal.

Answer»

1. Aluminium.

2. The alumina is dissolved in a mixture of molten cryolite. It is then electrolysed in a rectangular steel tank, with carbon lining, which serves as cathode. Anode is a set of thick carbon rods suspended from top into the fused Al2O3 . The temperature is maintained as 1200 K and 1310 K. Oxygen is evolved at anode which reacts with carbon of anode producing CO and CO2 . Aluminium formed at the cathode gets collected.

4.

You are provided with samples of impure copper and germanium.1. Which method would you recommend for the purification of each of these metals?2. What is ‘‘Copper matte”? How is it formed?

Answer»

1. Coper – Electrolytic refining 

Germanium – Zone refining

2. The copper in the furnace that contains Cu2S and FeS is called copper matte. It is formed when copper ore is heated in reverberatory furnace after mixing with silica.

5.

The choice of reducing agents in a particular case depends on the thermodynamic factor.1. How far do you agree with this statement?2. Support your opinion with an example.

Answer»

1. The statement is true. Choice of reducing agents depends strongly on factors like ΔH, ΔS, ΔG and T for the formation of the oxide to be reduced.

2. Electropositive metals like Al, K etc. can be extracted using electricity. Whereas CO is used for reducing haematite in the extraction of iron.

6.

The process used for the extraction of sodium is

Answer»

Down’s process.

7.

Which flux can be used to remove a metal oxide impurity from a sulphide ore of noble metal? Substantiate.

Answer»

Silica, SiO2 .

Generally, metal oxides are basic in nature. To remove basic impurities an acidic flux like SiO2 is used.

8.

Why is the reduction of a metal oxide easier if the metal formed is in liquid state at the temperature of reduction?

Answer»

The entropy is higher if the metal is in liquid state than in solid state. The value of (∆S) of the reduction process is +ve when the metal formed is in liquid state the metal oxide being reduced is in solid state. The value of ∆GΘ becomes more on -ve side and the reduction becomes easier.

9.

What do you mean by refining? Mention the methods also.

Answer»

The process of removal of impurities from the crude metal is called refining. The methods are :

  • Distillation 
  • Liquation
  • Electrolytic refining 
  • Zone refining 
  • Van Arkel process 
  • Mond’s process 
  • Chromatographic methods 
10.

Why is the extraction of copper from pyrites more difficult than that from its oxide ore through reduction?

Answer»

Carbon is a poor reducing agent for sulphide ores whereas it is good reducing agent for oxide ores.

11.

Copper can be extracted by hydrometallurgy but not zinc. Explain.

Answer»

Metals occupying low positions in the electrochemical series can be extracted by hydrometallurgy because the metal ions (Mn+) of such metals can be easily reduced by treatment with some more electropositive metal. The metals occupying higher positions in the electrochemical series cannot be extracted by hydrometallurgy because the metal ions of such metals are difficult to be reduced.

Copper can be extracted by hydrometallurgy because it occupies quite lower position in the electrochemical series. On the other hand, zinc cannot be extracted by hydrometallurgy because it occupies higher position in the series and has large negative reduction potential.

12.

Match the following :ProcessMetal Purified1) Mond’s ProcessZirconium2) van Arkel processSilicon3) Zone refiningZinc4) DistillationNickel

Answer»
ProcessMetal Purified
1) Mond’s ProcessNickel
2) van Arkel processZirconium
3) Zone refiningSilicon
4) DistillationZinc
13.

What is Ellingham diagram? Mention its application.

Answer»

It is a graph showing the variation of ∆rG° for the formation of oxides with temperature. It helps in the choice of reducing agent in the reduction of oxides.

14.

The Ellingham diagram is a plot of(a) ∆f G° vs T(b) ∆f H° vs T(c) ∆f S° vs T(d) ∆f G° vs ∆f H°

Answer»

(a) ∆f G° vs T

15.

You are provided with samples of some impure metals such as Titanium and Nickel. a) Which method would you recommend for the purification of each of these metals?b) Briefly explain each method.

Answer»

a) Ti – van Arkel method
Ni – Monds process

b) The crude metal is heated in an evacuated vessel with iodine. The metal iodide is formed. The metal iodide is decomposed on a tungsten filament, at about 1800 K. The pure metal is ’ deposited on the filament.

Mond process: In this method impure Ni is heated in a stream of carbon monoxide forming a volatile complex, nickel tetracarbonyl.

The carbonyl is subjected to higher temperature so that it is decomposed to give pure metal.

16.

a) Name two metals which can be refined by van Arkel Method. b) Match the items of Column I with items of Column II.Column IColumn IIi) Bauxitea) Zincii) Malachiteb) Ironiii) Calaminec) Copperiv) Magnetited) Aluminiume) Lead

Answer»

a) Zirconium (Zr) or Titanium (Ti)

b) i – d;

ii – c;

iii – a;

iv – b

17.

Concentrated ore of iron, coke and limestone are fed into a blast furnace from the top. i) Write down the reason for adding limestone along with the concentrated ore of iron. ii) Write down the reactions taking place at the higher temperature range in the blast furnace. OR Metals are extracted from their chief ore. i) Name the pencil pal ore of aluminium. ii) Write the equations for the reactions taking place at the anode and at the cathode during the extraction of aluminium by the electrolytic process.

Answer»

i) Lime stone is added to blast furnace morder to remove acidic impurities (gangue) like silica (SiO2). At high temperature, lime stone decomposed to form calcium oxide, which acts as a basic flux and removes acidic silica gaunge as calcium silicate slag.

CaCO3  \(\overset{Heat}{\longrightarrow}\) CaO + CO2

CaO + SiO2 → CaSiO3

ii) The following reaction take place at the higher temperature range (900 K – 1500 K) in the blast furnace:

C+O2→CO2,FeO+CO→Fe+CO2

OR

i) The principal ore of Al is Bauxite (Al2O2H2O). In Hall-Heroult process for the electrolytic extration of Al, purified Al2O3 mixed with Na3ALF6 or CaF2 acts as the electrolyte, steel cathode and graphite anode. The following reactions take place during electrolysis:

At cathode: Al3(melt) + 3e → 4 Al(l)

At anode : The oxygen liberated at anode reacts with the carbon of anode producing CO and CO2.

C(s) + O2 (melt) → CO(g) + 2e

C(s) + 2O2(melt) → CO2(g) + 4e-

The overall reaction is

2Al2O3+3C→4Al+3CO2

18.

Bauxite is ore of Aluminium.1. What do you mean by an ore?2. Name the method which is used to purify Bauxite.3. Write two examples for ores and their purification methods.

Answer»

1. The mineral from which metal can be easily and economically extracted is called ore.

2. Leaching

3. Two examples for ores and their purification methods

  • Hematite → Magnetic separation 
  • Cinnabar → Froath floatation
19.

Leaching is a process of concentration of ores. Explain the leaching of alumina from bauxite.

Answer»

Bauxite usually contains silica (SiO2), iron oxides and titanium oxide (TiO2) as impurities. The powdered ore is digested with a concentrated solution of NaOH at 473 – 523 K and 35 – 36 bar pressure. Al2O3 is leached out as sodium aluminate leaving the impurities behind. (SiO2 is also leached as sodium silicate).

Al2O3(s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 3H2O(l) → 2Na[Al(OH)4](aq)

The aluminate in solution is neutralised by passing CO2 gas and hydrated Al2O3 is precipitated. At this stage, the solution is seeded with freshly prepared samples of hydrated Al2O3 to induce the precipitation.

2Na[Al(OH)4](aq) + CO2(g) → Al2OxH2O + 2NaHCO3(aq)

The sodium silicate remains in the solution and hydrated alumina is filtered, dried and heated to give back pure Al2O3.

AI2O3⋅xH2\(\overset{1470K}{\longrightarrow}\) Al2O3( s)+xH2O(g)