New-York tribune., 1874-08-17
ON WET PROCESSES OF COPPER EXTRAC
TION.
BY Proc. I. sTERRY HUN'


Conner is generally got from its ores by
smelling 10 furnaces but for centuries It has been
known tat by means OF acids 10 be dissolved from
It's oxydzed or cacined and from the solutions
thus obtained, thrown down by IRON IN metallic state,
a cheaper mode OF making it soluble was sought and
10y roasting the ores sulphurous with sea salt It was
found the copper could be got as soluble chloride
This process largely used and offers great advantages
espacIv for ores holding small percentage OF copper;
lt the sumptiOu OF met lic iron IN precpltdun-
is considerable ami the amount Of salt used and
wasted Is very large. beng three tons OF more
for e1cb ton of copper The cost OF salt IN many cop
perprudlclng regions Is very great ana tAe speaker
drsclbrd new ana more economical. process cOnrlved
hv himself and Mr. james DJuIlas OF Quebec, which is
based Little known reactions Oh copper ana lrOn'
" non he had made known % the Association at
former meeting. Wnon OXyde of copper il brought In
contact with proOcu.urde OF iron TINS Is deconpOsed,
me iron beng thrown down pcr0xvde AMI copper
converted into "a X,ure o. OIethird soluble prOto-
chloride and wohrs OF GccnOrldc, ns0lube ~ water,
but soluble in a strong aud hot brine From this so,u
non metallic IRON throws whole OF the copper
or metal TsSgnerrng Iaad 'nf IfSi9s9de 9s6gr fTe on
charge Of oxyde Of copper. and so on lnden
mteiy. using the same ,ol4tl IN over again Inc con
SUMPTION OF metallic IRON Deiug about two-ihrds the
weight of the IRON, 10 prepare ne ordinary suphnrous
ores FOR tins treatment 1t IS only necessary 70 caiane
them at low red heat In ms process lhe Injurious ee
meuts OF an sucn as arsenic anunOnY ana TN re-
main undissOlved, and the metallic copper Obtained -
pure that Do eau be mIde INTO nAe copper oy 'n-Ie
be readily separated 50 hat this process s Wen
iapted for sver-Dearlng copper ores IKE many OF
TIE author described the WOrks recently erected at
te Knob Mine, North Carolina. where from 400
o 5000 pounds OF metallic cOpperare made daily ny this
process t much below tuit al w1cl II could De
extracted 0y melting or Otuer process known and
stated thar furnaces and tanks winch VIII Increase the
production 20 iJur times tAdt qiauu] are Jere I'D pro
cess of erection photographs s thc present WORKS ana
succ.meus Of copper Ou-aIued IA beautifully crys-
tlIL-d form b tni- process, were cXAloted. Ine du-
thor then proceeded 20 notice briefly the copper de
p0sits of Eastern North America which abound through
out tie great Appalachian belt iruM NcWloundIdnd 20
Georgia. II" had already called the attention OF the
Association, former occasion, 10 the Importance OF
these Iu the Bde Ed-e sources nOtA Oi cop
per and sulphur, which latter would bc employed 20
the pL0spndtes OF .Oatu Carolina, and ul them FOR
use as iertlZ1~-. while The copper would become he
predicted important article VI export from these
regions at Eu distant Gay. he tAcu alluded 10 the
copper Of fIe red and stone formation
country, winch contains an abundance OF TINS
metal OF scuIdtcd I'D such manner That the ores
could Dee advdItagcOuSlv -meite0, though ne CON
ceIved well fitted for treatment by Wet process Ike
that Just noticed He had recently wished the deposits
of this geological formation IN Chester County, Penn,
and described their mode OF occurrence and geological
,lgnficquce and their economic Importance. similar
deposits are iu tle red sand stone OF
the Connecticut Valley, aud deserved more attention
than they had MUgrrtO received.
Dr. VA der Wevde mentioned the use OF tin scraps
in factory BrOOkyn tie tn beng removed and the
IRON ueing converted into bars He spoke OF the pro
cess as not always successful. Prof. K. L. Rogers
ae,cTIucd Il method IN at san Frinclso for
separating silver and gJd by the employment Of prOtO
suIputtc u Iuu.