Ores are naturally occurring materials that may be mined to extract a mineral or minerals of commercial worth. Minerals, particularly metals, are often mined in ore form first, then processed.
Ore is derived from the combination of two Old English words: Ora, which means 'unworked metal,' and ar, which means 'brass, copper, or bronze.'Oxides and sulphides are the most prevalent metal ores.
Sulphides are the earliest ores, having developed when there was a lot of sulphur in the Earth's past due to volcanic activity. Later, when photosynthesis in plants released significant amounts of oxygen into the atmosphere, oxides developed.
Iron ore is the most prevalent element on the planet, accounting for over 5% of the Earth's crust. As a result, it is one of the most plentiful rock components.
Metals and Ores
The table below covers some of the most important metals, as well as their ores and chemical formulae. You can use the search function below to look for a certain metal and its ore.
| Metal | Ore | Chemical Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium (Al) | Bauxite Corundum Cryolite Feldspar Alunite Kaolin (clay) | Al₂O₃ 2H₂O Al₂O₃ Na₃AlF₆ KAlSi₃O₈ KAl₃(SO4)2(OH)₆. Al₂O₃ 2SiO₄·2H₂O |
| Antimony (Sb) | Stibnite | Sb₂S₃ |
| Barium (Ba) | Barytes | BaSO₄ |
| Beryllium (Be) | Beryl | Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈ |
| Bismuth (Bi) | Bismuthate | BiO₃ |
| Cadmium (Cd) | Greenockite | CdS |
| Calcium (Ca) | Dolomite Limestone Calcite Gypsum Fluorspar/Fluorite Asbestos Kaolinite (a form of clay) | MgCO₃CaCO₃ CaCO₃ CaCO₃ CaSO₄⋅ 2H₂O CaF2 CaMg₃(SiO₃)₄ Al₂O₃ 2SiO₂·2H₂O |
| Chromium (Cr) | Chromite | (Fe, Mg)Cr₂O₄ |
| Cobalt (Co) | Cobaltite Smelite | CoAsS CoAsS₂ |
| Copper (Cu) | Cuprite Malachite Bornite / Peacock Ore Chalcocite Copper pyrites Copper glance | Cu₂H₂O Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂ Cu₅FeS₄ Cu₂S CuFeS₂ Cu2S |
| Gold (Au) | Calaverite Sylvanite | AuTe₂ (Ag,Au)Te₂ |
| Iron (Fe) | Haematite Magnetite Siderite Iron pyrites Limonite | Fe₂O₃ Fe3O4 FeCO₃ FeS₂ FeO·nH₂O |
| Lead (Pb) | Galena Anglesite | PbS PbCl₂ |
| Manganese (Mn) | Pyrolusite Manganate | MnO₂ MnO₄ |
| Magnesium (Mg) | Magnesite Dolomite Epsom salt/ Magnesium sulfate Kieserite Carnallite | MgCO₃ MgCO₃·CaCO₃ MgSO₄ MgSO₄·H₂O KMgCl₃·6(H₂O) |
| Mercury (Hg) | Calomel Cinnabar | Hg₂Cl₂ HgS |
| Nickel (Ni) | Pentlandite Milarite | (Fe, Ni)₉S₈ K₂Ca₄Al₂Be₄Si₂₄O₆₀ · H₂O |
| Potassium (K) | Nitre/ Saltpetre Carnalite | KNO₃ KClMgCl6H2O |
| Phosphorous (P) | Floreopetite | 3Ca₃(PO₄)CaFe₂ |
| Phosphorite | Ca₃(PO₄)CaFe₂ | |
| Tungsten (W) | Wolframite Scheelite | (Fe, Mn)WO₄ CaWO₄ |
| Silver (Ag) | Argentite Ruby silver / Pyrargyrite Horn silver / Chlorargyrite | Ag₂S Ag₂S⋅Sb₂S₃ AgCl |
| Sodium (Na) | Chile saltpetre Trona Borax Common salt | NaNO₃ Na₃H(CO₃)₂·2H₂O Na₂[B₄O₅(OH)₄]·8H₂O NaCl |
| Strontium (Sr) | Strontianite | SrCO₃ |
| Uranium (U) | Carnotite Pitchblende / Uraninite | K₂(UO₂)₂(VO₄)₂3H₂O UO₂ |
| Zinc (Zn) | Zinc blend/Sphalerite Calamine Zincite | ZnS ZnCO₃ ZnO |
Extraction of Ores
The process of extracting metals from their ores and purifying them is called Metallurgy. The process utilised to extract a certain metal from its ore is determined by the metal's reactivity and hence the ore's stability.
The main three steps involved in metallurgy are:
- Ore Concentration.
- Metal extraction from concentrated ore.
- The purification of the metal.
Gangue/matrix refers to the undesired impurities and earthy things found in the ore, such as sand, limestone, and rocky materials. Flux is a chemical that is applied to ore to eliminate impurities. Slag is formed when gangue and flux in ores combine to generate a fusible substance.
The process of extracting gangue from the ore is determined by the ore's physical and chemical qualities.
For example: Aluminium.
Aluminium is one of the most abundant elements in the Earth's crust, and it may be found in a variety of silicate ores, which are frequently a type of clay.
Bauxite is an ore of aluminium. Two techniques are used to extract aluminium from bauxite ore industrially. They are as follows:
- Bayer Process: It refines bauxite ore (through concentrated sodium hydroxide) to generate alumina (aluminium oxide) and the remainder is a combination of silica, different iron oxides, and titanium dioxide (gangue).
- Hall–Héroult Process: It involves the smelting of aluminium. The alumina (aluminium oxide) produced by the Bayer method then is electrolyzed with molten cryolite and feldspar to produce pure aluminium.
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