Question

In the purification of impure nickel by Mond's process, metal is purified by:

• A. Electrolytic reduction
• B. Vapour phase thermal decomposition
• C. Thermite reduction
• D. Carbon reduction

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Mond process is a technique to extract and purify nickel. This process converts nickel oxides into pure nickel. This process makes use of the fact that carbon monoxide complexes with nickel readily and reversibly to give nickel carbonyl. Process contains these steps:
First impure nickel is reacted with excess carbon monoxide at $60^{\circ }C-80^{\circ }C$ to form the gas nickel carbonyl, leaving the impurities as solids. $180^{\circ }C$
Impure nickel $+CO\stackrel{60^{\circ }C-80^{\circ }C}{\to }Ni(CO{)}_4\stackrel{180^{\circ }C}{\to }Ni+4CO$
Then, the mixture of excess carbon monoxide and nickel carbonyl is heated to $180^{\circ }C$. On heating, nickel tetracarbonyl decomposes to give nickel. So, the metal is obtained by thermal decomposition.