General Knowledge - Chemistry - Discussion

Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes production of silver, iron, copper and other base metals from their ores. Smelting uses heat and a chemical reducing agent to decompose the ore, driving off other elements as gasses or slag and leaving just the metal behind. The reducing agent is commonly a source of carbon such as coke, or in earlier times charcoal. The carbon (or carbon monoxide derived from it) removes oxygen from the ore, leaving behind elemental metal. The carbon is thus oxidized in two stages, producing first carbon monoxide and then carbon dioxide. As most ores are impure, it is often necessary to use flux, such as limestone, to remove the accompanying rock gangue as slag.

Plants for the electrolytic reduction of aluminium are also generally referred to as smelters. These do not melt aluminium oxide but instead dissolve it in aluminium fluoride. They normally use carbon electrodes, but novel smelter designs use electrodes that are not consumed in the process. The end product is molten aluminium.

Metallurgy is a process of extraction metal from ore. The metal is obtained fusion state in smelting because during the process of smelting the metal is mixed with slag & a flux. The melting is over high so the metal is obtained fusion state.

@Thomas.

Decomposition is the process of breakdown of substances from one phase into another, while calcination is the process of heating a substance to a high temperature, but below its melting point, to bring about thermal decomposition.

Metallurgy is process of extracting metal from their ores for that purpose ignition that is heat required after heating metal fuses that process is called smelting. In short it just a fused metal form due to heating.

If the ore is not oxide and found as carbonate or sulphide then it is subjected to calcination.

Calcination is process of heating carbonate ores in absence of oxygen.

Eg: CaCO3 gives on calcination CaO +CO2.

Smelting uses heat and a chemical reducing agent to change the oxidation state of the metal ore; the reducing agent is commonly a source of carbon such as coke, or in earlier times charcoal

Metallurgy is the process of extracting metal from their ores... the metals ores heated or fused with some reducing agent this is called smelting....

Metallurgy is the process whereby ore are reduce by heating them with co2 or coke to obtain a pure metal. The heating of this ore is called smelting.

Metallurgy is the process of extraction of metal from their ores.

And when concentrated or roasteded ore is heated with iron is known as smelting.

Calcination process takes place in the presence of oxygen and absence of air and roasting takes place in the presence of air and absence of oxygen.