Which of the following processes is/are related to lead refining?
P. Parkes process Q. Pattison process R. Fire process
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P only
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Q only
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R only
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P and Q
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Q and R
P. The Parkes process, patented in 1850, uses zinc to form a material which the silver enters. This floats on the lead and can be skimmed off.
Q. The Pattison process was patented by its inventor, Hugh Lee Pattinson, in 1833. It depended on well-known material properties; essentially that lead and silver melt at different temperatures. The equipment consisted of a row of about 8-9 iron pots, which could be heated from below. Argentiferous lead was charged to the central pot and melted. This was then allowed to cool, as the lead solidified, it was skimmed off and moved to the next pot in one direction, and the remaining metal was then transferred to the next pot in the opposite direction. The process was repeated in the pots successively, and resulted in lead accumulating in the pot at one end and silver in that at the other.
R. Fire process - The initial product of copper smelting was impure black copper, which was then repeatedly melted to purify it, alternately oxidizing and reducing it. In one of the melting stages, lead was added. Gold and silver preferentially dissolved in this, thereby providing a means of recovering these precious metals. To produce purer copper suitable for making copper plates or hollow-ware, further melting processes were undertaken, using charcoal as fuel. The repeated application of such fire-refining processes was capable of producing copper that was 99.25% pure.