General Principles And Processes of Isolation Of Elements

Question

What is the significance of leaching in the extraction of aluminium?

Answer

Leaching is significant as it helps in removing the impurities like SiO2, Fe2O3 etc.It is the chemical method used for the concentration of ores. Aluminium is generally extracted from bauxite ore, this ore contains SiO2, iron oxides and titanium oxide as impurities. it is concentrated by digesting the powdered ore with a concentrated solution of NaOH at 473-523 K  and 35-36 bar pressure when Al2O3 gets leached out as sodium aluminate.The impurities are left behind.

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