Write the chemical reactions involved in the extraction of metallic silver from argentite.

Answer

`Ag_(2)S + 4NaCN hArr 2Na[Ag(CN)_(2)] +Na_(2)S`
Argentite `(0.7%` solution) sodium argentocyanide
`2Na[Ag(CN)_(2)] +ZN rarr Na_(2)[Zn(CN)_(4)] + 2Ag darr`
This `Na_(2)S` is oxidised into `Na_(2)SO_(4)` to avoid reversibility of reaction.
`4Na_(2)S + 5O_(2) +2H_(2)O rarr 2Na_(2)SO_(4) +4NaOH + 2S darr`