In the Hall's process for purifying low-grade red bauxite, the initial digestion step differs signif — Metallurgy and Isolation of Elements Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Hall's process uses solid Sodium Carbonate ($Na_2CO_3$). The bauxite ore is fused with $Na_2CO_3$ to form water-soluble sodium aluminate ($NaAlO_2$): $Al_2O_3 + Na_2CO_3 \xrightarrow{Fuse} 2NaAlO_2 + CO_2 \uparrow$. Baeyer's process uses aqueous $NaOH$ under pressure, and Serpeck's uses Coke/$N_2$.