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The mineral bauxite, which is mostly \( \mathrm{Al}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3} \), is the principal industrial source of aluminum metal. 1st attempt How much aluminum can be produced from 1.50 ton of \( \math

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Final answer:

Bauxite is the principal industrial source of aluminum metal. It undergoes a series of chemical reactions to produce aluminum, including the reaction with hot sodium hydroxide to form soluble sodium aluminate, and the thermal decomposition of aluminum hydroxide to produce aluminum oxide. The aluminum oxide is then electrolyzed to produce aluminum metal.

Step-by-step explanation:

Bauxite, which is mostly Al2O3, is the principal industrial source of aluminum metal. Aluminum can be produced from bauxite through a series of chemical reactions. The first step is the reaction of bauxite with hot sodium hydroxide, which forms soluble sodium aluminate:

AlO(OH)(s) + NaOH(aq) + H2O(l) → Na[Al(OH)4](aq)

Then, the sodium aluminate solution is cooled and seeded with previously produced aluminum hydroxide, causing aluminum hydroxide to precipitate out:

NaAl(OH)4(aq) → Al(OH)3(s) + NaOH(aq)

The precipitated aluminum hydroxide is then heated to produce pure aluminum oxide:

2Al(OH)3(s) → Al2O3(s) + 3H2O(g)

Finally, pure aluminum oxide is electrolyzed in molten cryolite to produce aluminum metal:

Al2O3(s) → 2Al(l) + 3O2(g)

User Farsen
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Final answer:

Approximately 26380 g of aluminum can be produced from 1.50 ton of bauxite.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mineral bauxite, which is mostly Al2O3, is the principal industrial source of aluminum metal. To determine how much aluminum can be produced from 1.50 ton of bauxite, we need to use the molar mass and stoichiometry. The molar mass of Al2O3 is 101.96 g/mol (2(26.98) + 3(16.00)), which means that 1 mole of Al2O3 contains 101.96 g of aluminum.

Now, we can set up a conversion factor to calculate the amount of aluminum produced:

1.50 ton * (1000 kg/ton) * (1 mole Al2O3/101.96 g) * (2 mole Al/1 mole Al2O3) * (26.98 g Al/1 mole Al) = X g Al

Calculating this, we find that approximately 26380 g of aluminum can be produced.

User ZLK
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