Reactivity Series And Seperating Metal From Metal Oxides Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is the reactivity series?
A list of metals arranged in order of decreasing reactivity.
Which metals are most reactive?
Potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, aluminium.
Which metals are least reactive?
Copper, silver, gold, platinum.
What is a metal ore?
A rock that contains enough of a metal compound to make extraction worthwhile.
What is a metal oxide?
A compound formed when a metal reacts with oxygen.
What is reduction in terms of oxygen?
The removal of oxygen from a compound.
What is oxidation in terms of oxygen?
The addition of oxygen to a substance.
What is a redox reaction?
A reaction where both reduction and oxidation occur.
What is used to extract metals less reactive than carbon?
Carbon is used to reduce the metal oxide.
What is the word equation for reduction with carbon?
Metal oxide + carbon → metal + carbon dioxide.
Why can carbon extract some metals from their oxides?
Because carbon is more reactive than those metals.
What metals can be extracted by carbon?
Metals below carbon in the reactivity series (e.g. zinc, iron).
What metals cannot be extracted by carbon?
Metals more reactive than carbon (e.g. aluminium, magnesium).
How are metals more reactive than carbon extracted?
By electrolysis of molten compounds.
What is an example of a metal extracted using carbon?
Iron from iron oxide.
What is an example of a metal extracted using electrolysis?
Aluminium from aluminium oxide.
Why is electrolysis expensive?
It uses a lot of electricity and heat energy.
What is the main ore of aluminium?
Bauxite, which contains aluminium oxide.
What does extraction by reduction involve?
Removing oxygen from a metal oxide to get the pure metal.
What happens in the blast furnace?
Iron is extracted from iron ore using carbon (coke).
What is slag?
A waste product formed from impurities during iron extraction.
What is the environmental impact of metal extraction?
Habitat destruction, pollution, and energy use.
What is the economic importance of extracting metals?
Metals are needed for construction, technology, and manufacturing.
Why is recycling metals important?
It conserves resources and uses less energy than extraction.
