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Choose the Best Answer · Q2

Q.Roasting of sulphide ore gives the gas (A). (A) is a colourless gas. Aqueous solution of (A) is acidic. The gas (A) is

a) CO₂
b) SO₃
c) SO₂
d) H₂S
Tamil Nadu DgeTextbookSubjectiveImportance★★★★★
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✓ Free question

Step 1. Section 1.3.1 gives the general roasting reactions for sulphide ores, e.g. 2PbS + 3O2 -> 2PbO + 2SO2, 2ZnS + 3O2 -> 2ZnO + 2SO2 -- in every case the gaseous by-product is sulphur dioxide, SO2.

Step 2. SO2 is indeed colourless, matching the clue in the question, and its aqueous solution is acidic (it forms sulphurous acid, H2SO3), also matching the second clue.

Step 3. Eliminate the distractors: CO2 (a) is colourless and its solution is weakly acidic, but CO2 is not the gas evolved from roasting a SULPHIDE ore (it comes from calcining a carbonate); SO3 (b) is not the primary roasting product (though some SO2 can further oxidise to SO3 downstream); H2S (d) is the gas evolved when a sulphide reacts with acid, not when it is roasted with oxygen.

✓Final answer

(c) SO2, the gas evolved when sulphide ores are roasted in excess oxygen

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