METALLURGY
1) Define Ore.
A) Ores are those minerals from which metals are extracted commercially at a comparatively
lower cost and effort.
2) Give reason:
i) Conc. alkali is used for the concentration of bauxite ore.
A) Concentrated alkali is used for the concentration of bauxite as bauxite is not soluble in
natural solvents but dissolves in a concentrated alkali solution.
ii) Fused alumina is reduced to aluminium by electrolysis.
A) Alumina has a great affinity for oxygen, forming aluminium oxide (a very stable and
hard-to-break compound). It cannot be reduced to aluminium by any other process than
electrolysis.
3) State one use of:
a) Magnalium
A) Magnalium is used to make scientific tools.
b) Duralumin
A) Duralumin is used to make bodies of aircraft.
4) The process used to purify alumina by electrolytic reduction:
A) Hall-Héroult's process
5) In electrolysis of fused alumina, the anode is made of _________ and the product
formed at the cathode is _________.
A) Graphite, aluminium
6) A homogeneous mixture of two or more metals or a metal and a non -metal in a
specific ratio is called:
A) Alloy
7) Give one use of:
a) Bauxite
A) Bauxite is the principal ore from which aluminium is extracted.
b) NaOH
A) Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is used to remove impurities from bauxite in a process called
leaching.
c) Cryolite
A) Cryolite is mixed with the electrolytic solution for the electrolytic reduction of alumina to
increase the electrical conductivity of the solution.
8) Why Aluminium cannot be obtained by the reduction of its oxide with carbon?
A) 𝐴𝑙 2 𝑂3 (Aluminium oxide) is a very stable oxide that can only be reduced by electrolysis.
Other reducing agents are not able to break this strong bond.
9) Extraction of Aluminium by Electrolysis:
Reaction at Cathode:
4𝐴𝑙 3+ + 12𝑒 − → 4𝐴𝑙
Why the anode is replaced from time to time:
• Oxygen is formed at the anode, which oxidizes the anode, causing it to corrode.
• The anode is made of graphite (a conductor) that can withstand high temperatures,
making it suitable for use.
11) The process used for extraction of metals in their pure form from their ore:
A) Metallurgy
12) Why Aluminium cannot be obtained by the blast furnace process?
A) Aluminium is more reactive than carbon.
13) In Hoopes Process:
i) Cathode: Graphite
Anode: Carbon lining
ii) Electrolyte:
1. Pure aluminium (Molten)
2. Molten fluorides
3. Impure aluminium (Molten)
14) Cryolite:
Cryolite is added to the electrolytic mixture during the extraction of aluminium from alumina
to bring down the fusion temperature from 2050°C to 950°C.
(Important question, repeated many times)
