In the critical auto-reduction phase of Bessemerisation, Copper(I) oxide reacts internally with Copp — Metallurgy and Isolation of Elements Chemistry Question
Question
In the critical auto-reduction phase of Bessemerisation, Copper(I) oxide reacts internally with Copper(I) sulphide to yield Blister Copper and a specific gas. When writing the fully balanced chemical equation for this specific auto-reduction step using the lowest whole-number stoichiometric coefficients, what is the exact coefficient of the resulting elemental Copper ($Cu$)?
💡 Solution & Explanation
The balanced chemical equation for the final self-reduction step in the Bessemer converter is: $2Cu_2O + Cu_2S \xrightarrow{\Delta} 6Cu + SO_2 \uparrow$. Therefore, the lowest whole-number stoichiometric coefficient for the produced metallic Copper is 6.