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Betts electrolytic process

 

 
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Betts electrolytic process
 
 
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The Betts electrolytic process is an industrial process for separating lead
Lead

Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
 and bismuth
Bismuth

Bismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This heavy, brittle, white crystalline trivalent poor metal has a pink tinge and chemically resembles arsenic and antimony....
. It is named for its inventor Anson Gardner Betts.

electrolyte
Electrolyte

An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrical conductor medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
 for this process is a mixture of lead fluorosilicate (PbSiF6) and hexafluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) heated to 45°C. Cathodes are thin sheets of pure lead and anodes are cast from the impure lead to be purified.






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The Betts electrolytic process is an industrial process for separating lead
Lead

Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....
 and bismuth
Bismuth

Bismuth is a chemical element that has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. This heavy, brittle, white crystalline trivalent poor metal has a pink tinge and chemically resembles arsenic and antimony....
. It is named for its inventor Anson Gardner Betts.

Process description for lead

The electrolyte
Electrolyte

An electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that behaves as an electrical conductor medium. Because they generally consist of ions in solution, electrolytes are also known as ionic solutions, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
 for this process is a mixture of lead fluorosilicate (PbSiF6) and hexafluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) heated to 45°C. Cathodes are thin sheets of pure lead and anodes are cast from the impure lead to be purified. A potential of 0.5 volts is applied. At the anode, lead goes into solution, as do metal impurities that are less noble than lead. Impurities that are more noble than lead, such as silver, gold, and bismuth, flake from the anode as it dissolves and settle to the bottom of the vessel as "anode mud." Pure metallic lead plates onto the cathode, with the less noble metals remaining in solution. Because of the high cost of electrolysis, this process is used only when very pure lead is needed. Otherwise the Parkes process
Parkes process

The Parkes process is a pyrometallurgical industrial process for removing silver from lead, during the production of bullion. It is an example of liquid-liquid extraction....
 followed by the Betterton-Kroll process
Betterton-Kroll process

The Betterton-Kroll process is an industrial process for removing bismuth from lead.Calcium and magnesium are added to a molten lead-bismuth bath....
 are used to purify lead.

See also

  • Processing lead from ore
    Lead

    Lead is a main-group Chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metal ....


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