Reduction to free metal

The calcined or roasted ore is then reduced to the metallic state in either of the following ways. a) Smelting: The oxides of less electropositive metals like Pb, Zn, Fe, Cu are reduced by strongly heating them with coke or coal. Reduction of oxide with carbon at high temperature is known as smelting. Blast furnace is used in reduction of iron oxides while reverberatory furnace in used in the reduction of tin oxide. b) Electrolytic Reduction: Highly electropositive metals like Na, K, Al are extracted by electrolysis of their oxides, hydroxides or chlorides in fused state and the metal is liberated at cathode Eg. aluminum is obtained by electrolysis of alumina mixed with cryolite which acts as a electrolyte. Oxides of highly electropositive metals cant be reduced with carbon because such metals react with carbon to form carbide at high temperature. c) Reduction by Aluminum ( Alumino Thermit process): Certain oxides like Fe2O3, Cr2O3 are not satisfactory reduced by carbon. In such cases Al is used as a reducing agent. An example is the extraction of Cr from Cr2O3. Cr2O3 + 3Al Al2O3 + 2Cr + heat Fe2O3 + 2Al Al2O3 + 2Fe+ heat Apart from this reduction can also take place by precipitation and air. The former is known as hydrometallurgy and the latter is auto reduction. All these processes give metals which are not totally pure. But in some cases we need metals of nearly cent percent purity. That may be achieved in either of the following ways depending on the metal. a) Liquation process b) Distillation process c) Oxidation process (Bessemerisation, cupellation, poling) d) Electro refining e) Van Arkel process f) Zone refining

Flux
The ores even after concentration contain some earthy matter called gangue which is heated combine with this earthy matter to form an easily fusible material called as slag. Such a substance is known as flux.
Gangue Flux Slag

Fluxes are of the following two types:

i)

Acidic fluxes like silica, borax etc. These are used when the gangue is basic such as lime or other metallic oxides like MnO, FeO, etc. The chemical reaction which takes place in removing a basic gangue is follows:
Gangue

CaO SiO 2 CaSiO3

Flux Slag

ii) basic fluxes like CaO, lime stone (CaCO3), magnesite (MgCO3), haematite (Fe2O3) etc. These fluxes are used when the gangue is acidic like silica, P4O10 etc. For example
SiO 2 MgCO 3 Gangue Flux MgSiO 3 CO 2
Slag

P4 O10 6CaO 2Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2

Slag