Answer: Copper matte is a step in the purification of copper that occurs in the middle. Direct smelting of the ore into metal is not recommended since it might result in unwanted contaminants. Instead, the ore is smelted into a matte, which is a combination of copper and iron sulphides. To obtain pure copper, this copper matte is heated in a furnace (originally reverberatory, but now obsolete).
This intermediate phase is used to remove the majority of the iron, silica, sulphur, and other gangue elements. Purification was carried out using this approach, which reduces copper loss. Because copper sulphide and iron sulphide can mix, a little quantity of silica must be added to the mixture so that it can interact with the FeS and produce a slag layer that separates both iron sulphide and copper sulphide, which can then be purified further by electrolysis.
As a result, the solution is ‘Cu2S, FeS.’