Copper fluorosilicate

Fluorosilicates. Salts of FluosiLicic Acid, H2SiFe. See Aluminum-, Ammonium-, Barium-, Calcium -, Copper-, Lead-, Magnesium-, Potassium-, Sodium-, and Zinc Fluosilicates in this Section... 

Electrolytic refining. Lead of very high purity can be produced from the electrolytic process. Most electrolytic refineries utilize the Betts process [17]. In this process, lead bullion is cast into anodes and placed in an electrolytic cell which contains an electrolyte of fluorosilicic acid and lead fluorosilicate. The cathode is a thin sheet of high-purity lead referred to as the starter sheet . Lead is deposited on the cathode while the impurities form an adherent, but porous, slime layer on the anode. The slimes are collected for recovery and refining as they contain valuable impurities such as silver, gold, copper, and bismuth. 

Many other metal compounds exist including the following often toxic examples barium compounds, eg., barium bromide beryllium compounds, eg., beryllium hydroxide cadmium compounds, e.g., cadmium iodide copper compounds like copper hydroxide, used as a pigment, in paper manufacturing, and as a pesticide lead compounds, like the soluble lead fluorosilicate thallium compounds, e.g., thallium sulphide and vanadium compounds, e.g., vanadium dichloride. 

Electrorefming involves the transfer of lead from an impure anode sheet, through an electrolyte to a high purity lead cathode. Crude bullion, after copper, arsenic and antimony ranoval, is cast into anodes, which are placed in tank cells. The electrolyte commonly used in the Betts Process is a solution of lead fluorosilicate and free fluorosilicic acid. Lead is deposited on lead starter sheets, which are removed from the cells and melted to high purity refined lead. Impurities are contained in the anode slimes and are collected and processed by pyrometallurgical methods for recovery of precious metals, bismuth and copper. 

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