Pattinson's Process | Desilverization of Argentiferous Lead

The process which is used for the recovery of the silver from argentiferous lead is called Pattinson's Process and is involves the desilverization of lead in accordance to the phase diagram of lead silver system.

The argentiferous lead is a mixture of molten lead and molten silver contains less than 0.1 per cent of silver. Thus, this is a liquid-liquid mixture with different solubilities. For its recovery, the argentiferous lead is heated above its melting point when a liquid melt consisting a silver-lead solution is obtained. Now if the silver-lead solution is cooled, then lead continues to separate out and is regularly removed. In the end, a eutectic solution containing 2.6 per cent silver is obtained. Thus the above process increases the percentage of silver in the argentiferous lead. Therefore, the eutectic mixture containing 2.6 per cent silver can be treated for the recovery of silver profitably.

Extraction of silver for an argentiferous lead (Pb + Ag) involves

A. Distillation method
B. Cupellation
C. Pattinson’s process
D. Parke’s process ✔