Question

Write the principle behind the following methods of refining:

Vapour-phase refining

Answer 1

Vapour-phase refining:
Vapour-phase refining is the process of refining metal by converting it into its volatile compound and then, decomposing it to obtain a pure metal. To carry out this process,
(i) the metal should form a volatile compound with an available reagent.
(ii) the volatile compound should be easily decomposable, so that the metal can be easily recovered. This method is used for refining nickel, zirconium and titanium.