The purest form of iron is prepared by oxidising impurities from cast iron in a reverberatory furnace. Which iron ore is used to line the furnace? Explain by giving reaction.

Explanation

The reverberatory furnace is lined inside with haematite. It supplies the necessary oxygen required for oxidation of impurities of C to ` CO _ 2 ` S to ` S O _ 2 `, P to ` P _ 4 O _ (10) ` , Mn to MnO , etc.
` Fe_2 O _ 3 (s) + 3C(s) to 2 Fe (s) + 3 CO (g) `
` 2 Fe _ 2 O _ 3 (s) + 3 S (s) to 4 Fe (s) + 3 SO _ 2 (g) `