Why we use only carbon to purification of metals as a reducing agent?
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Carbon is a good reducing agent, especially at higher temperatures, because it is a non-metal and it combines with oxygen and forms its gaseous non-metallic oxides.
Its dioxide CO2 being a gas, escapes away, hence it's a good by-product as we don't have to separate it further. So, we're left with comparatively much more pure metal in the end as compared to metallic reducing agents which leave behind molten metallic oxides mixed with the extracted metal itself.
The monoxide CO being a reducing agent also reduces the metal oxide ores to its metal. For example: in the smelting of the iron ore in the blast furnace.
From the electrochemical potential point of view (Reactivity series): Carbon is above many important metals (e.g. Zinc, Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold) and therefore, could be used to reduce their oxides to extract the metal from them.
That's why carbon/coke is a used widely in extractive metallurgy. As in the reactivity series, Hydrogen is also a good (non-metallic) reducing agent for Copper, Silver and Gold, but it fails for Iron and Zinc and in that case, Carbon is used.
I HOPE IT HELPS YOU :)
Carbon is a good reducing agent, especially at higher temperatures, because it is a non-metal and it combines with oxygen and forms its gaseous non-metallic oxides.
Its dioxide CO2 being a gas, escapes away, hence it's a good by-product as we don't have to separate it further. So, we're left with comparatively much more pure metal in the end as compared to metallic reducing agents which leave behind molten metallic oxides mixed with the extracted metal itself.
The monoxide CO being a reducing agent also reduces the metal oxide ores to its metal. For example: in the smelting of the iron ore in the blast furnace.
From the electrochemical potential point of view (Reactivity series): Carbon is above many important metals (e.g. Zinc, Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold) and therefore, could be used to reduce their oxides to extract the metal from them.
That's why carbon/coke is a used widely in extractive metallurgy. As in the reactivity series, Hydrogen is also a good (non-metallic) reducing agent for Copper, Silver and Gold, but it fails for Iron and Zinc and in that case, Carbon is used.
I HOPE IT HELPS YOU :)
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