Question

What is the common ore of tin and how is tin separated from it?

Short answer

The most common tin ore is cassiterite.Tin is purified by heating the ore with coal.

Step-by-step solution

Ore

An ore is a material that has a solid structure and can occurnaturally in nature. Ores help in the extraction of metals/minerals. since different ores have different high concentrations of specific elements.

Separation of tin from its ore

The most common ore of tin (Sn) is cassiterite, having a chemical formula of \({\bf{Sn}}{{\bf{O}}_{\bf{2}}}\).

Tin ispurified by heating the ore with coal, which is a process known from ancient times. In modern history, anore is first roasted to remove arsenic, sulfur, and some volatile oxides, while the remaining materials are treated with \({\rm{HCl}}\) after the reaction removes oxides of other metals.

The complete reaction is:

\({\rm{Sn}}{{\rm{O}}_2}(s)\overset{▲}{\rightarrow} + 2C(s)Sn(s) + 2CO(g).\)