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Lead-zinc production in Canada accounted for 19% of the total value of metals and minerals produced in 1976, says Keith C. Hendrick, president of Noranda Sides Corp. Mine production of recoverable zinc w as 1. 158 million toils of 27.4% of free world production in 1976. Slab zinc pro¬duction was placed at 472,000 tons that year. Canadian mine production of recoverable lead was 247,000 tons or 10.6% of the free world production. Refined lead that year was at 177,000 tons.

Jan 11, 1977

By J. S. Ll. Leach, J. B. Cohen, M. B. Bever

IN the work reported here, the heats of formation of a copper-rich Cu-Sn (a) solid solution and of the Cu.Sn (0 phase were measured by tin solution calorimetry. An approximate determination of the heat effect attending the precipitation of 6 from a supersaturated a solid solution was also made.

Jan 1, 1955

By S. S. Shen, M. J. Pool, P. J. Spencer

Heats of solution of silver and copper in dilute Ag-Cu-Sn alloys at 720°K have been determined using a liquid metal-solution calorieter. Values of the se2f-interaction coefficient n AgAghave been calculated at constant copper concentrations and n Cu Cuhas been determined at constant silver contents. The reliability of the experimental data is shown by the very good agreement between nCujAg and ij &$; these interaction coefficients have experimental values of -9100 and - 9590 cal per g-atom, respectively. Certain solution models are shown to be inadequate for prediction of solute interaction coefficients in dilute Ag-Cu-Sn alloys. In a previous publication' the results of a thermody-namic study of dilute Ag-Au-Sn alloys were presented. The present work represents the continuation of a program to investigate dilute alloys of the noble metals with tin and in particular is concerned with solute interactions in the Ag-Cu-Sn system. By determination of the magnitude and sign of the various interaction coefficients in dilute alloys it is possible to gain some understanding of the different types of solute-solute and so lute-solvent bonding changes that occur as the solute concentrations are varied. Hence systematic studies of alloys with similar physical characteristics as regards size, structure, electronegativity, and so forth, of their components can contribute a great deal to present theoretical knowledge of solutions. The recent definition of an enthalpy interaction coefficient, 11, by Lupis and Elliott2 is of particular value in calorimetric studies such as the present one: where j and i are solutes and s is the solvent; Si is the relative partial molar enthalpy of component i and x represents the mole fraction of solute or solvent. Values of ?Hi can be obtained directly by solution calorimetry and data for n are thus easily determined, often with a high degree of accuracy. ?Hi is related to the relative partial molar enthalpy at infinite dilution, ?Hi and to the enthalpy interaction coefficients by the expression: ?Hi?Hi + X;nz+ ... [2] The aim of the present work was to determine the self-interaction coefficients n AgAgand 178: in alloys of different compositions and also to establish values for n Agcg| and ncuAg. Since it is a thermodynamic requirement (resulting from the Maxwell-type relationships which can be applied to partial molar properties) that nAgcu and ncuAg should be equal, a further aim of this study was to demonstrate the agreement between experiment and theory. EXPERIMENTAL A description of the liquid metal-solution calorimeter used in this research has already been published,3 and no further details of its construction and operation will therefore be given here. Copper supplied by the American Smelting and Refining Co. was indicated by them as being 99.999 pct pure, and the silver obtained from A. D. Mackay, Inc., was also quoted as being 99.999 pct pure. A solvent bath consisting of between 70 and 80 g of 99.99 pct pure Sn was used for each series of experimental drops. Its weight was accurately determined and the appropriate amounts of copper or silver were added to give alloys of the desired composition. Approximately 0.00125 g-atom additions were used for determinations of the heat of solution of silver in the bath, while, for copper, specimens consisting of approximately 0.0015 g-atom were used. The heat capacity of the bath was determined at regular intervals during a series of drops using tin or tungsten calibration samples. The heats of solution of silver and copper in pure tin were first determined as a function of their concentration in order to establish the self-interaction coefficients 7AgAg and ncucu Alloys containing a constant 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, and 0.04 mole fraction of copper were then used to study 17:: in alloys of different copper content, while alloys of the same mole fractions of silver were used to determine equivalent data for 178: at constant silver concentrations. The composition of the bath was held at the desired copper or silver concentration by making calculated additions of the appropriate solute throughout the experiment. From the limiting values of ?HAg in the constant copper content alloys it was possible to study ?HAg as a function of xCu and hence to determine 42:. A similar analysis of the re, values permitted calculation of nAgcu. Heat content and heat capacity data from Hultgren et al* were used to calculate heat of solution values from the measured heat effects at the experimental temperature of 720°K. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Determinations of ?HAg. A preliminary investigation of the heat of solution of silver in pure tin at 720°K was first made in order to establish the value of nAgAg before additions of copper were made and also to compare the value of ?HOAg(l) with that obtained in the previous study of Ag-Au-Sn alloys.' Then the heat of solution of silver in Cu-Sn alloys was investigated as a func-

Jan 1, 1970

By George H. Willis

In the second half of the 19th century, bimetallism progressively was replaced by gold standard. After World War I and the 1931-33 depression, gold was mainly reserved for official international transactions and internal use was restricted. Changes since 1971 have shrunk official international use of gold. International payments deficits and surpluses are now financed by Private and official credit, rarely by gold. This historical review covers evolution of: (1) internal and external private use, (2) internal official use, (3) external official use, (4) its role in the International Monetary Fund, and (5) use as unit of account. For this paper I have tried to take a longer perspective than is usually possible, and to look, even if very briefly, at the changing relationship of gold to the monetary system over the last 200 years or so. There are, I believe, some long-term trends, continuing down to the present day. These trends have seen gold replaced by some form of paper assets in one monetary function after another. These past trends may help us to understand where gold stands now, and possibly will throw some light on the future. Because it seems to me that gold in the past has performed various functions related closely or marginally to money, I have divided this rapid historical review into several sections: (1) the internal and external private use of gold, (2) the internal official use of gold, (3) the external official use of gold, (4) gold and the International Monetary Fund, and (5)gold as a unit of account.

Jan 1, 1980

By Joseph E. Pogue

The writer visited the Muzo emerald mines in July, 1915, and spent six days in their study. This paper embodies the results of his observations, plus information personally communicated by Robert Scheibe, Professor of Geology in the Mining Academy of Berlin, who at the time of the visit was completing a detailed field investigation of nearly a year's duration of the emerald deposits of Colombia. An elaborate account of this valuable work may be expected at a future date from the pen of Professor Scheibe.

Jan 1, 1917

By D. W. Fuerstenau

THE object of this article is to point out the experimental relationship which exists among contact angle, adsorption density, zeta potential, and flotation rate data. In each of the experiments discussed in this article, the surface properties of quartz, as a function of pH, were measured in solutions to which constant quantities of dodecylam-monium acetate were added. Morrow1 and deBruyn2 worked with solutions containing 4.08x10-5 moles per liter, whereas Fuerstenau3 and Seele worked with solutions containing exactly 4x105 moles per liter, but this difference is not significant. The pH of the solutions was regulated with HCI or NaOH in all cases. In each case, the addition of collector was constant, but the concentration of dodecylammonium ions decreased because of the formation of dodecylamine at higher pH values.2 Contact Angles: Gaudin and Morrow1 presented data for the contact angle of quartz in solutions containing 4.08x10-5 moles of dodecylammonium acetate per liter between pH 2 and pH 10.15. Using the same captive bubble techniques, the writer measured contact angles on quartz in solutions containing 4x105 moles of dodecylammonium acetate per liter at pH values ranging from 9.9 to 13.2. Both sets of data are presented in Fig. 1, in which the contact angle in degrees is plotted as a function of the pH of the solution. From pH 2 to about 8, the contact angle

Jan 1, 1958

By W. S. Hungerford

As several papers on the subject of mining in soft ore-bodies have recently appeared in the Transactions and in the Engineering and Mining Journal, the following brief account of the method introduced by the writer at Low Moor, Va., may be of interest. It is in some respects similar to the system at Longdale, Va., referred to in Mr. Rothwell's paper, though differing in many of its details. That system has been employed by the Longdale Iron Company for many years, and to that company the writer is indebted for many

Jan 1, 1889

By Norman F. Schulz

The technical excellence of separation achieved in a mineral concentration process, or any other process where two constituents of any kind are physically separated from each other, is expressed uniquely and quantitatively by the separation efficiency (E,): E. = (R - R,), where R is the percentage of the valuable constituent and R, the percentage of the waste appearing in the concentrate. The separation efficiency meets all the usual requirements of a true efficiency and is independent of the nature of the process used. It can be visualized as the percentage of the feed material that, in effect, actually undergoes complete separation while the rest of the feed is distributed randomly and unchanged into the two separation products. The problem of quantitatively assessing the results of a mineral concentration process recurs whenever one tries to decide which of two similar test results is more desirable. Although economic factors may greatly influence the eventual choice of process, they usually have very little to do with the technical excellence of a separation and are, therefore, not a consideration at this point. Concentrate grade and recovery, used simultaneously are the most widely accepted measures of performance, and if both the grade and the recovery are greater for one case than for another, the choice is simple. However, when the results of closely competitive operations are compared, it often occurs that one set of test results shows a higher grade and a lower recovery than another and the choice is no longer obvious. Laboratory investigations of a mineral concentration process applied to a given feed material can often be designed to yield successive paired values of concentrate grade and recovery over the practical range of the course of a separation process.' These results may be plotted as some combination of the cumulative values of grade, weight recovery, or unit recovery in the concentrate. The resulting correlations for two slightly different sets of conditions can then be compared qualitatively, or even quantitatively in particular cases.2 Such comparisons are not applicable, however, to individual concentration test results. The reduction of a separation test result to a single efficiency figure, preferably as a percentage of ideality, would afford the simplest and most precise means for comparing the results of competitive tests. The effective proportion of feed material that undergoes complete separation in any real concentration process, hereafter referred to as "separation efficiency," is such a figure. It is essily calculated from the usual feed and product data and can even be evaluated, in many cases, from data in publications describing various concentration processes. Mineral Concentration Processes and Their Evaluation Mineral Concentration Processes: The overall concentration process may be subdivided into a liberation process which severs the bonds between unlike mineral species, and a separation process, which sorts the resulting liberated particles into two products—a concentrate rich in mineral A and a tailing lean in mineral A. A perfect mineral concentration process is represented by the idealized scheme shown in Fig. 1 in which liberation and separation are not differentiated. The feed mixture consists of two mineral types which are completely liberated early in the process and then sorted by type. All the mineral particles of type A which respond uniquely to the selection forces acting in the ideal separator, report to the concentrate, while all the mineral particles of type non-A report to the tail-

Jan 1, 1971

By Avnulf Muan, Egil Aukrust

The activity-composition curve for cobalt oxide in (Co,Fe)304 solid solutions with spinel-type stmcture has been determined experimentally by studying the equilibrium between the spinel phase and a coexisting cobaltowüstite phase, "(Co,Fe)O", at 1200°C. A large negative deviation from ideal behavior prevails in the spinel at low cobalt oxide concentrations and a positive deviation at high cobalt oxide concentrations. The activity-composition curve for iron oxide in the solid solution is determined from the above curve by integvation of the Gibbs-Duhem equation along the join Co3O4,-Fe3O4. The standard free energy of formation of cobalt ferrite, CoFe2O4, from the oxide components CoO and Fe2O3 is calculated to be -8.2 kcal. ThERMODYNAMIC properties of (CO,Mn)3O4 solid solutions with spinel-type structure have been presented recently.' The present paper deals with similar relations in another spinel solid-solution phase, that represented by the system Co3O4-Fe3O4. The principles involved in measurements and calculations of thermodynamic properties for the system Co3O4-Fe3O4 are analogous to those used and discussed in detail in the work on (CO,Mn)3O4. A (CO,Fe)3O4 solid solution coexists in equilibrium with a (Co.Fe)Ot solid solution over a considerable Here acOo1.33 and aao are the activities of cobalt oxide in the spinel and the oxide solid solutions, respectively, pO2, is the oxygen pressure of equilibration, and pb, is the oxygen pressure at which CoO and CosO4 coexist in equilibrium in the binary system Co-O at the same temperature. The activity-com position curve for cobalt oxide in the (Co,Fe)O solid solution in contact with metal has been determined in a previous investigation by the present authors.' The system shows a small positive deviation from linear behavior. Because of the large defect concentration in wiistite and in (Co,Fe)O solid solutions, one cannot assume that the activity-composition relations in the oxide phase coexisting with a spinel phase at relatively high oxygen pressures are the same as those prevailing in the oxide solid solution coexisting with metal. However, a Gibbs-Duhem integration over the ternary Co-Fe-0 solution can be used to determine activities of cobalt and iron, and hence of CoO and FeO, from a knowledge of the oxygen potentials. Several papers have dealt with the subject of application of the Gibbs-Duhem equation to multi-component systems. 3-6 In the present case, it was

Jan 1, 1964

By J. D. Verhoeven

In a recent study1 this author has investigated the effect of an electric field upon the solute redistribution accompanying solidification of Sn-Bi alloys. It was concluded that the primary effect of the electric current upon the solute redistribution resulted from electrotransport within the liquid boundary layer at the solid-liquid interface. In order to maximize the electrotransport effect all of the experiments were conducted at the highest current densities experimentally attainable. It was found that these high current densities produced considerable convective mixing within the liquid metal. This mixing reduces the boundary layer thickness and consequently reduces the effectiveness of the electric field in producing solute redistribution. Consequently, it is quite possible that the condition of maximum achievable current density would not correspond to maximum solute redistribution. It may be that, as the field intensity is increased, a point is reached where the additional solute redistribution from the increased electrotransport is more than offset by the decrease in solute redistribution resulting from the increased mixing in the liquid. In order to check this possibility the effective distribution coefficient has been determined as a function of current density in a series of experiments. The experiments were conducted on 6.6 at. pct Bi

Jan 1, 1968

By M. E. Wadsworth, C. H. Pitt

Nickel corrosion in sulfuric acid solutions at elevated temperatures and oxygen wer-pressures was imestigated. Weight loss was 1inear with time and varied directly with oxygen concentration. Independent variation of the possible active species in solution indicated that the undissociated sulfuric acid molecule plays an important part in the corrosion mechanism. The rate determining step was considered to be the adsorption of oxygen on a site containing adsorbed H2SO4. THE tendency for a metal to go into solution depends on a number of factors some of which are: 1) the position of the metal in the electrochemical series; 2) the type and concentration of corroding species in solution; 3) the concentration of oxygen in solution; 4) the type of film formed at the liquid-metal interface; and 5) the physical state of the metal. The corrosion of a metal in an aqueous solution may be considered to be a heterogeneous reaction that occurs at the liquid-metal interface. The reaction is generally considered to occur as a result of electrochemical potential differences within the system. Little work has been published in the literature concerning the corrosion of pure nickel. A great deal has been publistled dealing with the experimental and theoretical aspects of the over-all corrosion process. Evans,1 Uhlig,' and recently Todt 3 and Tomashoff,4 have published books which review the results of experiments which have been conducted on corrosion, and have developed some of the basic ideas of the more widely accepted theories of corrosion. Friend5 states that. nickel does not readily discharge hydrogen from any of the common nonoxidiz-ing acids and that a supply of some oxidizing agent is necessary for appreciable rates of corrosion. He further notes that at temperatures between atmospheric and close to boiling, corrosion rates tend to vary with concentration, temperature, and aeration in acid concentrations up to 25 pct. Whitman and Russel6 studied the effect of dissolved oxygen on a number of metals in acid solutions and found that oxygen accelerates the rate of corrosion of nickel in sulfuric acid. Flowers and Kelley7 in studying the action of dissolved CO, on electroplated nickel postulated that nickel dissolves as NiHCO3 in the presence of CO, and air. It was found that oxygen was necessary for corrosion to take place and that the rate increased with increasing amounts of oxygen in solution. Flowers and Kelley attributed the oxygen effect to cathodic depolarization. MacGillavry, Rosenbaum, and wensson' determined metal solution potentials of nickel in various electrolytes. They found that nickel has no tendency to corrode in alkaline solutions in the presence or absence of air. In acid solutions in the presence of air, metal solution potential increases in the order of 1/2 v were observed. This increase was attributed to probable chemisorption of oxygen on the nickel surface and the corrosion mechanism suggested was the interaction of H+ ions with the nickel oxide formed at the surface. Delahay9 observed the reduction of oxygen on various metals. A polarograph was used to measure the course of the reaction. With some metals hydrogen peroxide was produced as an intermediate compound. However, nickel was not considered to be a hdrogen peroxide producer. Van Rysselberghe 10,11 and associates attributed the accelerating effect of carbon dioxide on the corrosion process to the presence of percarbonic acid produced in solution reacting with the hydrogen peroxide. The percarbonic acid can be reduced at less negative potentials than hydrogen peroxide and as a result accelerates the reaction. EXPERIMENTAL Since a complete description of the apparatus used can be obtained elsewhere,12'13 no attempt will be made here to describe the equipment other than to note that it consisted essentially of an autoclave unit from which samples could be withdrawn periodically without disturbing the interior state of the autoclave. A titanium autoclave liner was used to protect the autoclave from the solution.

Jan 1, 1961

A. M. Strong, Bishop, Cal. (communication to the Secretary*) :—The paper of Mr. Eeyes gives us the most complete account of the geology of the borax-deposits in the Death Valley region that has yet been published, and is a valuable addition to the geological literature of a very interesting though little-known territory. During the past ten years I have been over much of the northern part of the country described by Mr. Eeyes and the region immediately north of it.

Jan 1, 1910

By F. F. Frick, Frederick Laist

In a leaching process, having obtained the copper in solution, the choice of the precipitation method is influenced by the following factors: 1. Availability of precipitant. 2. Adaptability to the leaching process. 3. Final product desired. 4. Regeneration of leaching solutions. 5. Fouling of solutions. There are three general classes of precipitation methods: 1. The use of iron, scrap or sponge. 2. Electrolytic deposition. 3. The use of some gas or reagent by which the copper is obtained, usually in the form of an intermediate precipitate which requires further treatment. For example, the precipitation of, the copper as Cu2Cl2 from chloride solutions; with SO2 gas. The use of iron is adapted to almost any process. It has the great advantage of extreme simplicity, and the recovery of the copper and any values present in a highly concentrated, easily treatable form. The disadvantages are the cost in isolated places, the uncertainty of the scrap-iron market, and the fouling of the leaching solutions. The latter is a serious factor, when a reagent such as salt is used in them, which makes necessary their re-use. Where applicable, electrolytic deposition is very attractive. The copper is obtained in a form directly marketable, there is a regeneration of acid and no fouling of solutions. Unfortunately, chloride solutions do not lend themselves to electrolysis. An entirely satisfactory anode material has not yet been discovered, although magnetite, apart from being rather brittle, seems to answer the requirements fairly well. The use of a method of the. third class is involved in many special

Jan 1, 1915

By Richard E. Chism

I have thought it well to lay before the Institute some account of the Vallecillo Mines, now, I believe, the only paying ones in American hands in northeastern Mexico, including the States of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Tamaulipas. The authentic history of these mines dates from their ownership by an American Company in the year 1851, when they were bought by the Vallecillo Silver Mining Company of New York. They had been worked before by the Spaniards, but had been abandoned for many years, on account of the heavy expense of drainage and the constant incursions of the Indians. The company commenced work with several well-known New York capitalists among its stockholders, and had a large fund of both money and enthusiasm. The first point of attack was at a shaft on a mine known as the Jesus Maria, which had the most favorable traditions. Extensive buildings were put up, and two sets of pumps were successively tried. After the second pump, with a steam-cylinder 5 feet in diameter and 10 feet stroke and a plunger 20 inches in diameter, had failed to do more than hold the water, with infinite labor, at the 250 feet level, and after a thorough exploitation of the whole mine above that level had failed to yield more than some $30,000 worth of ore, it was resolved to abandon the effort. Operations were accordingly transferred to the old Dolores shaft, at a point about 21/2 miles to the

Jan 1, 1885

By R. C. Ku, R. G. Davies

The stress-strain behavior of Fe-C and Fe-Ni solid-solution alloys has been investigated at 25°C. It is found that the rate of solid-solution strengthening is dependent upon the strain at which the yield stress is measured, the macroyield stress being much more concentration-dependent than the microyield stress. In fact the addition of nickel does not lead to any increase in the microyield stress of iron. The primary effect of increasing the carbon or nickel content is to increase the slope of the stress-strain curve in the microyield region; this effect has been correlated, by means of transmission electron microscopy, with a decreased ability of the dislocations to cross-slip. It is concluded that the Mott-Nabarro theory is a good description of true solid-solution hardening in these and other iron-base alloys. A.LL theories of the solid-solution strengthening1-4 indicate that the flow stress of an alloy increases both with solute concentration and "misfit" between the solvent and solute atoms. The functional relationship between strength, solute concentration, C, and misfit depends upon the particular theory. Mott and Nabarro1,2 and Schoeck and Seeger3 both predict a linear increase in strength with concentration, while Fleischer4 indicates that the strength should be proportional to C1/2; there are in the literature experimental observations to support both these compositional dependencies.1'8 The experimental evidence used to support the theories is the change in macroscopic yield stress (strain, e, = 10-3) with composition. However, recent investigations have revealed that solid-solution strengthening in a Cu-Al single crystals7 and in Fe-V polycrystal-line" alloys depends upon the strain at which the flow stress is measured; a flow stress in the microplastic range (e = 10-6 to 10-5) is much less concentration-dependent than the macroyield stress. Since the theories of solid-solution strengthening are concerned in particular with the stress to move a dislocation in a dislocation-free matrix, they should only be compared with microyield-stress data; it will be shown that in a material deforming homogeneously the microyield stress (e = 10-6) is approximately the stress to move through the matrix those dislocations which have been nucleated by stress concentrations such as particles or grain boundary ledges.9-11 In contrast, the macro-yield stress is more complex in that it is affected by several phenomena: dislocation multiplication, dislocation interactions, and the ease of propagating slip across grain boundaries. For example, it is experimentally observed that when long-range order12'13 or solute effects10 restrict cross alip the grain boundary

Jan 1, 1967

The members of the Institute will recall the account given in the March Bulletin of the inauguration exercises of the Engineering Foundation which was inhibited by an initial gift of $200,000 by Mr. Ambrose Swasey, to be administered by the United Engineering Society as trustees. The Engineering Foundation Board is now constituted as follows: GANG DUNN, Chairman, EDWARD D. ADAMS, Vice-Chairman FREDERICK R. HUTTON, Secretary, JOSEPH STRUTHERS, Treasurer, American Society of Civil Engineers. J. WALDO SMITH, CHARLES WARREN HUNT.

Jan 12, 1915

By C. Jardine, D. Freudenreich

The system concept is to minimize costly unscheduled equipment breakdowns by replacing components earlier than their life expectancy. Periodic unit services are scheduled according to preset constraints. Service sheets are generated by matching a job and component master listing based on assigned cyclic component lives. The system can account for all man-hours reported, and history information can be selectively retrieved. By reducing unscheduled equipment shutdowns, this system allows for better manpower utilization and an overall improvement in equipment reliability and availability.

Jan 1, 1982

By P. Chaudhari, Michael B. Bever

The heat of solution at infinite dilution of selenium in bismuth, the heat of mixing of selenium and bismuth, and the limit of solubility of selenium in bis~rzuth have been determined at 573, 623; and 663°K by metal solution calorimetry. The heat of forrrzation of the compound Bi2Se at these temperatures has been determined from the heat effects associated with the precipitation of the compound from a saturated solution oj selenium and bismuth. The published information on the thermodynamic properties of the system Bi-Se is limited. The heat of solution at infinite dilution of selenium in bismuth at 623°K has been measured.' The heat of formation at 273 K1 and room temperature2 and the heat capacity at 80 K3 of the compound Bi2Se3 have been reported. An estimate of the heat of formation of the compound BiSe at room temperature has been published.2 Information on the phase relations in the system Bi-Se is available.' In the investigation reported here the following quantities have been determined at 573", 623", and 663°K: 1) the heat of solution at infinite dilution of selenium in bismuth, 2) the heat of mixing of selenium and bismuth in bismuth-rich solutions, 3) the limit of solubility of selenium in bismuth, and 4) the heat of formation of the compound BizSe. These quantities were determined by the addition of selenium to bismuth-rich solutions in a metal solution calorimeter. The determination of the heat of formation at the tem- perature of the calorimeter bath involved the precipitation of the compound from a saturated solution in the calorimeter. 5,6 This method differs from that commonly used which requires the addition of the compound and of a mechanical mixture of its components and yields the heat of formation at the temperature from which the additions are made (273 K EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND CALCULATIONS The solution calorimeter has been described in detail.' Pure bismuth (99.999+ pct) was used as the bath at the start of a run. The calorimeter was calibrated with small amounts of bismuth added from 273°K; the differences of the heat contents of bismuth at 273°K and the temperatures of the baths are listed in Table I. After the calibration, additions of hexagonal selenium (99.999+ pct) were made. Loss of selenium by evaporation was negligible. No unusual experimental difficulties were encountered.9 The differences in the heat contents10 of selenium at 273°K and the temperature of the bath, listed in Table I, were subtracted from the measured heat effects to give the "adjusted heat effects". The methods by which the heat of solution at infinite dilution, the

Jan 1, 1968

By Frederick Laist

Introduction IN a leaching process, having obtained the copper in solution, the choice of the precipitation method is influenced y the following factors: 1. Availability of precipitant. 2. Adaptability to the leaching process. 3. Final product desired. 4. Regeneration of leaching solutions. 5. Fouling of solutions. There are three general classes of precipitation methods: 1. The use of iron, scrap or sponge. 2. Electrolytic deposition. 3. The use of some gas or reagent y which the copper is obtained, usually in the form of an intermediate precipitate which requires further treatment. For example, the precipitation of the copper as Cu2Cl2 from chloride solutions, with SO2 gas. The use of iron is adapted to almost any process. It has the great advantage of extreme simplicity, and the recovery of the copper and any values present in a highly concentrated, easily treatable form. The disadvantages are the cost in isolated places, the uncertainty of the scrap-iron market, and the fouling of the leaching solutions. The latter is a serious factor, When a reagent such as salt is used in them, which makes necessary their re-use. Where applicable, electrolytic deposition is very attractive. The copper is obtained in a form directly marketable, there is a regeneration of acid amid no fouling of solutions. Unfortunately, chloride solutions do not lend themselves to electrolysis. An entirely satisfactory anode material has not yet been discovered, although magnetite, apart from being rather brittle, seems to answer the requirements fairly Well.

Jan 7, 1914

C. A. ROSE, New York, N. Y. (written discussion *).-Without doubt the excellent results obtained at Ajo will cause surprise among metallurgists; 75 per cent. average capacity and 80 per cent. extraction during the first year of operation of a plant using a new metallurgical process are figures that speak for themselves. It is obvious that the most troublesome feature of the process is the fouling of solutions. The effects of this are most evident in the electrolytic tank house; but apparently the solutions are so heavily loaded with salts that their dissolving power is also impaired. This is indicated by the fact that copper comes into solution during washing after the leaching of the ore is completed, as shown by the decreasing ratio of acid to copper in the various washes tabulated in Table 4, and also by the fact that 4.9 per cent. of the total copper in the ore remains in the tailings in a soluble form. Even though the extraction in leaching and the ampere efficiency in electrolysis would be benefited by keeping the salts in solution at a lower concentration, it is doubtful whether it would pay to decrease these salts by discarding more electrolyte without other changes in the, process, since this would increase the amount of cement copper produced, which is already very large. If, however, it would not disturb the process otherwise, this object could be accomplished by increasing the range of electrolysis, so that solution going to the tank house would contain, say, 4 per cent. copper and 1 per cent. acid, and the solution returned to the leaching plant 1 1/2 per cent. copper and 4.8 per cent. acid, and by increasing the volume of solution to be discarded, this to be taken from the electrolyzed solution returned to the leaching plant. By this arrangement, more salts will be removed from the system per ton of cement copper produced; and if sufficient solution is discarded to keep the iron content down to 1 1/2 per cent. it would he feasible to recover the copper from

Jan 4, 1919