During the Van Arkel process, the impure metal chloride is heated with the reactive metal to form a:
Volatile compound
Insoluble compound
Precipitate
Stable compound
During the Van Arkel process, which is used for the purification of titanium, the impure metal chloride is heated with a reactive metal, typically sodium or magnesium. The impure metal chloride reacts with the reactive metal to form a volatile compound.
This volatile compound is formed due to the high reactivity of the reactive metal, which readily reacts with the impurities present in the metal chloride. The reaction results in the formation of a volatile compound that can be easily removed from the system by sublimation or distillation.
By removing the volatile compound, which contains impurities, the remaining metal chloride becomes purer. This process is repeated multiple times to achieve a high level of purification.
Therefore, during the Van Arkel process, the impure metal chloride reacts with a reactive metal to form a volatile compound. This volatile compound is then removed, leading to the purification of the metal.