I need to know how copper is processed form its ore to pure copper...all explanations I found on internet sites are too complicated..can you give me some simple explanations on steps used to turn copper ore to copper..
Copper ore can be of many types and the simplest one to extract copper from is the one containing copper sulphide.Such an ore is piled in great heaps in a depression in the ground(think a swimming bath)and kept wet but not submerged.In the course of a week or so the oxygen in the air oxidises the copper sulphide copper sulphate which is a blue salt which dissolves in the water.The next thing is that iron scrap is added to the blue solution and the copper is released onto the surface of the scrap.(reaction CuSO4 + Fe ----->FeSO4(in solution in the water) + free copper.When enough copper if formed the copper covered scrap is heated in a furnace in a reducing atmosphere so that the copper melts and is collected as ingots and the remaining iron returned to the copper swimming pool. To get pure copper(99.99% pure or better) the ingots from the process above are rolled into flat sheets which are made the anode in an electrolytic cell(dilute sulphuric acid again)and with a starter cathode os pure copper.Im not going into the chemistry here but an electric current is passed through the solution and copper dissolves from the impure copper and is re-deposited onto the pure copper starter sheet.
