C5.3 - Extracting Metals (Finished) Flashcards
When is a rock considered a metal ore?
When there is enough of a metal or metal compound in it to make it worth extracting the metal
What is oxidation?
When metals react with oxygen to form oxides
What needs to be done to ores before the metal is extracted and purified?
The ore needs to be concentrated
Why do some metals exist their native states?
They are so unreactive
What does weather its worth extracting a metal depend on?
- How easy it is to extract from its ore
- How much metal the ore contains
- The changing demands for a particular metal
How are metals more reactive than hydrogen extracted?
By electrolysis of the molten compound
Why are some metals reacted with hydrogen despite carbon being cheaper?
The carbon and metal may form a compound so the metal obtained using hydrogen would be purer
How can some less reactive metals be extracted?
Chemically by reduction with carbon
What metals can be extracted by reduction with carbon and why?
Metals below carbon in the reactivity series as carbon can only take the oxygen away from metals which are less reactive than itself
What happens during the process of extracting metals from their ores with carbon?
The metal oxide and carbon are heated, the ore is reduced as oxygen is removed from it and carbon gains it to form carbon dioxide being oxidised
What is a general formula for the extraction of metals using carbon?
Metal oxide + carbon -> metal + carbon dioxide
How do you decide how to extract a metal from its ore?
Using the reactivity series
