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Electrochemical principle
Electrochemistry is the branch of chemistry known to have concerns with the relation between electrical potential and chemical change during a chemical and physical reaction. The system which changes chemical energy into electrical energy is called electrochemical cells. The electrochemical reactions are the chemical reactions that involves consumption or production of electrical energy. Many electrical appliances such as TV are powered by 1.5 volt cell is an example of typical electrochemical cell.
What are electrochemical principles?
On the principle of a redox reaction, an electrochemical reaction works. Redox reaction stands for the reduction-oxidation process. With a fast redox reaction, an electric current is produced in the form that a chemical change releases the energy. An electrochemical cell has two half parts, and each half has an electrode and an electrolyte.
The components of electrochemical cells are – electrode, anode, cathode, electrolyte, salt bridge.
In electrolytic cells, to force an electrochemical oxidation-reduction reaction, electrons in an electric current are intentionally pumped through chemicals in cells. In voltaic or galvanic cells, these chemicals are deliberately taken outside the cell to flow through the electronic circuit to operate the electrical device. In an electrolytic cell, to form the electricity, a chemical reaction is produced visa-versa in a voltaic cell to form chemical reaction electricity is produced.
What is Metallurgy?
The process of extraction of metals in their pure form is called metallurgy. The metallurgy process deals with the formation of alloys, purification, and extraction of metals. At minimal cost and effort, metals are extracted from minerals. Minerals are the raw form of metal mixed with soil, rocks, sand, and limestone; these minerals are also called ores. Flux is a substance added to charge the furnace to remove impurities from minerals.
The extraction of metals process can be classified into the following methods:
Magnetic separation: On a crusher belt, the mineral ore is placed in this process, the conveyor belt rotates around two wheels, one of the wheels is magnetic, and thus magnetic particles present in ores get attracted to that magnetic wheel. That’s how magnetic particles are separated from non-magnetic particles.
Crushing and grinding: This process is also called pulverization. Crushing and grinding is the foremost process of extracting metal; this process of crushing ores or minerals into a fine powder form with the help of a crusher.
The concentration of ores: The concentration of ores is the process used to remove impurities from ores.
Hydrolytic method: the crushed ore is poured over a vibrating corrugated slope with a groove. Then a jet of water is flown over the surface, causing the impurities to wash away. Then in this process, the denser particles settle in the grooves.
Roasting and calcination: In the process of extraction of metals, roasting is heating a concentrated ore in the presence of oxygen; calcination is when this roasting process when heating is done in the absence of air to melt the minerals and ores containing carbonates and hydrated oxides.
Froth floatation: the crushed ore is taken to a tank filled with oil and water, then a current of compressed air is passed through the tank in this process. Ores are lighter in weight than the impurities. Thus the impurities get separated from the ore in the form of fourth, as the ore gets washed and wet with oil.
Electrochemical principles of metallurgy
Application of the electrochemical technique principle is widely found in use for the extraction of metals. The carbon thermodynamic process is not very efficient for reducing oxides of active metals like potassium, sodium, etc. The electrochemical procedure is thus used in such cases. By electrolysis, the present metal ion can be reduced. Electrochemical techniques extract the metal ores in a fused or solution form. Principles of electrochemical techniques for extracting metals are efficient and potentially cheaper than any other technique.
The important stage of the electrochemical principle of metallurgy is the reduction of metal ions to their respective metals in their solution or molten state. In this technique, reducing elements are used for reduction; For a metal ,the value of electrode potential depends on its reactivity; for example, metals having high value of electrode potential are more reactive as compared to metals having less value of electrode potential. It is difficult to reduce metals having high electrode potential of a redox couple. In zinc copper cell, zinc is oxidised to Zn2+ and Cu2+ is reduced to copper. Zinc has electrode potential +0.76 and is more reactive than copper having electrode potential +0.34.
Conclusion
The system which changes chemical reactions into electrical energy is electrochemical cells. The electrochemical reactions can be reduction reactions that occur at electrodes causing the conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy by the electrochemical cells and batteries. For example, an electrochemical reaction works on the principle of a redox reaction. With a fast redox reaction, an electric current is produced in the form that a chemical change releases the energy.
The process of extraction of metals in their pure form is called metallurgy. The metallurgy process deals with the formation of alloys, purification, and extraction of metals. Application of the electrochemical technique principle is widely found in use for the extraction of metals. Electrochemical techniques extract the metal ores in a fused or solution form. Principles of electrochemical techniques for extracting metals are efficient and potentially cheaper than any other technique.
