30000 tonnes of a copper ore containing 6.5% chalcopyrite was mined. Calculate the theoretical yield of copper that could be extracted from this ore (in tonnes)?

Answer 1

Natalie Anton

#"Chalcopyrite"# has a formula of #"CuFeS"_2# (you should have included this formula in the question).

Thus, the mass percentage of copper in chalcopyrite is as follows:

#(63.55*g*mol^-1)/((63.55+55.8+2xx32.06)*g*mol^-1)xx100%#

#34.6%# #"by mass."#

But, the ore contains ONLY #6.5%# by mass of copper in this ore......

Consequently, the mass of copper is determined by...

#(6.5)/100xx(34.6)/100xx30000*"tonnes"=675*"tonnes"#.

Naturally, the remaining starting mass will either be released into the atmosphere or congeal into a massive tailings pile.

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Answer 2

Jeremiah Adams

The theoretical yield of copper that could be extracted from the ore can be calculated by multiplying the total weight of the ore by the percentage of chalcopyrite in the ore, and then multiplying by the percentage of copper in chalcopyrite.

The calculation is as follows:

Percentage of copper in chalcopyrite = 34.63% Total weight of the ore = 30,000 tonnes Percentage of chalcopyrite in the ore = 6.5%

Theoretical yield of copper = Total weight of the ore × Percentage of chalcopyrite in the ore × Percentage of copper in chalcopyrite

Theoretical yield of copper = 30,000 tonnes × 6.5% × 34.63% Theoretical yield of copper ≈ 667.95 tonnes

Therefore, the theoretical yield of copper that could be extracted from the ore is approximately 667.95 tonnes.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.