Arsenic is one of the most undesirable elements that can occur as an impurity in copper concentrates, for two reasons: it causes serious environmental problems during the collection and treatment of flue dusts; and it is extremely deleterious to product quality and value if allowed to report to the final cathode in more than trace amounts. Arsenic occurs widely in copper ores, but normally at low concentrations. It forms complex sulphides with other metals, which are often intimately associated with copper and nickel sulphide minerals.
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