Some recent contributions to our knowledge of metallic reducing agents
✍ Scribed by H.F. Keller
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1894
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 585 KB
- Volume
- 138
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0016-0032
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
In the extraction of metals from their oxygen compounds, carbon is certainly the most important and useful reducing agent. Its great affinity for oxygen is utilized in the manufacture of iron and steel; the commercial production of other useful metals such as copper, lead, zinc and tin is accomplished, either directly or indirectly, with its aid ; and under its influence even the energetic metals of the alkalies release their powerful grip upon oxygen. Contrasted with this the use of other substances for the purpose of abstracting oxygen is almost insignificant. Is it surprising, therefore, that carbon is looked upon as the reducing agent par excellence, or that the very idea Of reduction seems to us inseparably associated with this element ?
But the reducing power of a substance, depends in a large measure upon temperature. It is well known to chemists that, under certain couditions, many metals have affinities which are far more powerful than those of carbon. When we glance over the pages of our chemical text books, we see described there numerous experiments ~oased upon the superior combining power of iron, aluminum, zinc, magnesium and the alkali metals. The great Swedish chemist who arranged the elements according to their supposed affinities iu an electro-chemical series, was among the first to employ the positive alkali-metals for isolating and preparing other elements. His method consisted in decomposing the halogen compounds by means of potas-sium~ and it was subsequently improved by Berzelius' distinguished disciple, W6hler. With its aid the latter chemist not only succeeded in reducing for the first time those Read at the stated meeting of the Chemical Section, held January I6, 1894.