236 ELECTROLYSIS. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 



TREATMENT OF ORES. 



Of the importance of the subject Bunsen's Method Becquerel's method for 

 the Treatment of Gold, Silver, and Copper Ores Conclusion of Becquerel 

 Lambotte-Doucet's Method Luckow's Method Le"trange's Method- 

 Treatment of Sulphides : Deligny's Method Bias and Miest's Method 

 Marchese's Process Lambert's Method Werdermann's Method Cobley's 

 Method Trial of the Treatment of Argentiferous Copper Ores. 



OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT. The use of elec 

 tricity for the treatment of ores has already been made the 

 subject of numerous patented combinations, and more or less 

 practical experiments ; but we believe that there does not exist 

 one single industrial application based on the said use of elec- 

 tricity. We must, therefore, limit ourselves to the descriptions 

 of those processes which appear to be the most ingenious and 

 easy of realisation. 



The importance of this problem is of the greatest moment, 

 especially for the ores of precious metals, the actual metallurgy 

 of which leaves somewhat to be desired. For example, the 

 arsenio-sulphides and antimonides of silver and the auriferous 

 pyrites, which are now so much neglected, and from which such 

 a small yield is obtained, ought to attract the attention of 

 electricians. The interest is much less for what concerns the 

 gold and silver ores, which are easy of amalgamation ; as to the 

 copper, lead, and zinc ores, the cost of treating them by elec- 

 tricity will, whatever be done, be an almost insurmountable 

 obstacle to its general use. 



We have seen in the previous chapter how expensive the 

 refining of copper proved to be ; the operations are, however, 

 extremely simple, and the work required in the electrolysis of 

 the sulphate of copper with a soluble anode is very limited. If 



