Leaching
The selective dissolution of a metal or its compound from an ore using a suitable chemical reagent.
Unit
Dimensionless
In depth
Leaching is a hydrometallurgical route that avoids the high temperatures of smelting and can process very low-grade ores in place. The metal is recovered from the resulting solution by precipitation, displacement or electrowinning.
Examples in the real world
The Bayer process dissolving alumina in hot NaOH; cyanide leaching of gold; bacterial leaching of copper.