Question

in the refining of silver, the recovery of silver from silver nitrate solution involved displacement by copper metal. write down the reaction involved and also explain it.

Answer 1

Extraction of silver from the Argentite ore:
Silver is extracted from the argentite ore by the Mac-Arthur and Forrest's cyanide process. The various steps involved in this process are as follows.
1. Concentration
The crushed ore is concentrated by froth-floatation process.
2. Treatment of the ore with NaCN
The concentrated ore is treated with 0.4-0.6% solution of sodium cyanide
for several hours. The mixture is continuously agitated by a current of air, so that Ag present in the ore is converted into soluble sodium argento complex.

Ag2S + 4NaCN -- > < - 2Na [Ag(CN)2] + Na2S
Sodium argento cyanide (soluble)