Nickel purification

Nickel Purification. The Mond process for nickel purification is based on the formation of volatile nickel carbonyl, Ni(CO)4, which is stable... 

Ludwig Mond s nickel purification plant still operates to this day. 

The removal of copper from the pregnant nickel solution in the Sherritt-Gordon process is an example of purification by precipitation of a fairly insoluble compound. First, in the copper boil step, ammonia is driven off by heating the solution, and some copper sulfide precipitates. The residual copper is removed by a dding hydrogen sulfide for the chemical precipitation of mote copper sulfide. 

Gas Reduction. The use of a gaseous reduciag agent is attractive because the metal is produced as a powder that can easily be separated from the solution. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen can be used to precipitate copper, nickel, and cobalt, but only hydrogen reduction is appHed on an iadustrial scale. In the Sherritt-Gordon process, the excess ammonia is removed duting the purification to achieve a 2 1 ratio of NH iNi ia solution. Nickel powder is then precipitated by... 

Metals less noble than copper, such as iron, nickel, and lead, dissolve from the anode. The lead precipitates as lead sulfate in the slimes. Other impurities such as arsenic, antimony, and bismuth remain partiy as insoluble compounds in the slimes and partiy as soluble complexes in the electrolyte. Precious metals, such as gold and silver, remain as metals in the anode slimes. The bulk of the slimes consist of particles of copper falling from the anode, and insoluble sulfides, selenides, or teUurides. These slimes are processed further for the recovery of the various constituents. Metals less noble than copper do not deposit but accumulate in solution. This requires periodic purification of the electrolyte to remove nickel sulfate, arsenic, and other impurities. 

Nickel. Most nickel is also refined by electrolysis. Both copper and nickel dissolve at the potential required for anodic dissolution. To prevent plating of the dissolved copper at the cathode, a diaphragm cell is used, and the anolyte is circulated through a purification circuit before entering the cathodic compartment (see Nickel and nickel alloys). 

Natural gas contains both organic and inorganic sulfur compounds that must be removed to protect both the reforming and downstream methanol synthesis catalysts. Hydrodesulfurization across a cobalt or nickel molybdenum—zinc oxide fixed-bed sequence is the basis for an effective purification system. For high levels of sulfur, bulk removal in a Hquid absorption—stripping system followed by fixed-bed residual clean-up is more practical (see Sulfur REMOVAL AND RECOVERY). Chlorides and mercury may also be found in natural gas, particularly from offshore reservoirs. These poisons can be removed by activated alumina or carbon beds. 

Solvent Extraction Reagents. Solvent extraction is a solution purification process that is used extensively in the metallurgical and chemical industries. Both inorganic (34,35) and organic (36) solutes are recovered. The large commercial uses of phosphine derivatives in this area involve the separation of cobalt [7440-48-4] from nickel [7440-02-0] and the recovery of acetic acid [61-19-7] and uranium [7440-61-1]. 

Feed Ga.s Purifica.tion. Because nickel-based reforming catalysts are quite sensitive to sulfur, halogen, and heavy metal poisons which may be found ia natural gas, a feedstock purification system is normally required. Sulfur compounds, ia both organic and inorganic forms, are the most common... 

Copper sulfate, in small amounts, activates the zinc dust by forming zinc—copper couples. Arsenic(III) and antimony(TTT) oxides are used to remove cobalt and nickel they activate the zinc and form intermetaUic compounds such as CoAs (49). Antimony is less toxic than arsenic and its hydride, stibine, is less stable than arsine and does not form as readily. Hydrogen, formed in the purification tanks, may give these hydrides and venting and surveillance is mandatory. The reverse antimony procedure gives a good separation of cadmium and cobalt. 

Analysis of zinc solutions at the purification stage before electrolysis is critical and several metals present in low concentrations are monitored carefully. Methods vary from plant to plant but are highly specific and usually capable of detecting 0.1 ppm or less. Colorimetric process-control methods are used for cobalt, antimony, and germanium, turbidimetric methods for cadmium and copper. Alternatively, cadmium, cobalt, and copper are determined polarographicaHy, arsenic and antimony by a modified Gutzeit test, and nickel with a dimethylglyoxime spot test. 

The precipitated copper from this reaction is an important constituent of the slime that collects at the bottom of the electrolytic cells. The accumulation of copper as well as of impurities such as nickel, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth is controlled by periodic bleed-off and treatment in the electrolyte purification section. 

In many refineries, nickel is the principal impurity (up to 20 g/L) in the electrolyte. The nickel remains in the electrolyte as the copper is stripped out in the purification section and is recovered from the resulting acid solution by precipitation as the sulfate in evaporators. 

Nickel sulfamate is more soluble than the sulfate salt, and baths can be operated using higher nickel concentrations and higher currents. Sulfamate baths have been found to have superior microthrowing power, the abiUty to deposit in small cracks or crevices. Using one nickel salt, only a hydrometer and pH paper are needed to control the bath. A small amount of chloride salt was added as a proprietary. Highly purified nickel sulfamate concentrates are commercially available that can be used to make up new plating baths without further purification. 

The optimal choice depends on the total pressure of tire system, and on tire stoichiometty of tire reaction. As an example, the uansportation of zirconium as the tetra-iodide is made at low pressure, while the purification of nickel by tetracarbonyl formation is made at high pressure. These reactions may be written as... 

To obtain a good yield and high isotopic purity, it is more important to carry out the preparation and purification of the Raney nickel as fast as possible (in 30 min or less) than to wash the nickel free of sodium deuteroxide. 

An alternative preparation of deuterio-Raney nickel is described using a more elaborate purification procedure. There is no evidence however, that the use of this nickel results in a better yield or higher isotopic purity of products from the desulfurization reactions. 

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