Question

Copper pyrites is an ore containing compounds of copper. One of the compounds in the ore is CuFes2.

(a) Calculate the mass of copper in 20.0 tonnes of CuFeS2.​

Answer 1

Copper is extracted from copper pyrites. After roasting, the ore is mixed with silica and coke and then smelted in a blast furnace. The matte obtained from the blast furnace is charged into a silica lined converter. Some silica is also added and a hot air blast is thrown into the mixture to obtain blister copper which is purified by electrorefining.

During roasting, copper pyrites are ultimately converted into a mixture of:

A

FeS+Cu

2

S

B

FeS+Cu

2

O

C

FeO+Cu

2

S

D

FeS+Cu

2

S→FeO+Cu

2

O