Metals and thier uses Flashcards
Ores
A compound of a metal and other elements (e.g. iron oxide) that contains enough metal to make it economical to extract the metal (make enough money by getting the metal out).
-The economics of extraction can change over time
Reduction
The removal of oxygen from a substance e.g. iron oxide is reduced by carbon to make iron.
Carbon extraction
Metals that are less reactive than carbon (on reactivity series) can be extracted from the metal oxide.
Blast furnace
Where iron oxide is reduced using carbon on an industrial scale.
Electrolysis
A method of extracting metals that are more reactive than carbon, from their ores – by using electricity.
Smelting
A method of extracting copper from ores by heating them in a furnace.
Phytomining
Uses plants to absorb metal compounds. The plants are then burned and the ash contains the copper compounds.
Bioleaching
Uses bacteria to produce leachate solutions that contain metal compounds like copper.
Alloys and their properties
A mixture of two or more elements, where at least one is a metal.
Alloys are stronger than pure metals because the different sized atoms prevents the layers sliding over each over each other.
Steel
An alloy of iron and carbon
Low carbon steel
.
Contains less carbon and is easily shaped – used in car bodies.
High carbon steel
Contains more carbon and is very hard – used in cutting tools like drills.
Stainless Steel
An alloy of iron, chromium & nickel, that is resistant to corrosion and used to make cutlery.
Transition metals
These are the elements in the middle block of the periodic table. They are good conductors of heat and electricity and can be bent into shape.
Copper and its uses
A transition metal that has a range of uses, because of its properties e.g. electrical wires, water pipes and saucepan bases.
