Chemical and physical characteristics of metals and alloys.
Metallurgy, in a highly simplified manner, has several crucial steps. These are:
- Crushing of the ore by powdering or grinding to increase its surface area
- Concentration/Benefaction/Dressing (removal of impurities) by froth floatation/levigation/magnetic separation/etc.
- Roasting or calcination (where appropriate) to form a metal oxide
- Reduction of the pure metal oxide to metal: electrolytically, by reducing agent, self-reduction, or by heating
- Purification of the metal obtained in step 4
Several metals like iron or copper also involve formation and removal of "matrix" (infusible impurities) removed as fusible "slag" by addition of acidic or basic "flux".
