Question

The ore that is concentrated by the froth flotation process is?
A. Cinnabar
B. Dawdle
C. Malachite
D. Zincite

Answer 1

Hint: Froth flotation process is generally used in sulphides as it depends on the concentration of the compounds. It is governed by the wetting of the whole ores. Sulphides have different wetting properties and so they can be extracted by this method.

Complete answer:
-Metal compounds found in nature are called minerals. Minerals from which we can extract metals conveniently as well as economically are called ores. It contains impurities which are called gangue.
-Extraction of metals from ores is called metallurgy. Metals are extracted from the earth’s surface and so along with the metals, certain impurities also appear with it which needs to be removed in order to increase the efficiency of the metals.
-In the froth flotation process of sulphides, the ore is wetted by oil and the gangue is wetted by water. We know that oil floats on water. This makes it easy to separate the gangue from the metal ore and helps in easy extraction of the metal.
-There are three main sulphide ores which use this process and they are ZnS, HgS and PbS. Their names are given as zinc blende, cinnabar and galena respectively.
-In the given options, we just need to search for the sulphide ores to find the answer. Zincite is ZnO which is an oxide while malachite is a hydroxide ore of copper. So they are not sulphide ores. Cinnabar is HgS which is sulphide ore for mercury.

Therefore the correct option is A.

Note:
Only sulphide ores can be used for the froth flotation process. This is because the oil used for wetting the ore is pine oil and it can wet only the sulphides. It cannot wet any other ore and so the process cannot be used for other ores.