Extracting metals Flashcards
What is an ore?
When there’s enough metal or metal compound in a rock to make it worth extracting
Where do metals come from?
Metals are found in the Earth’s crust. Most metals are combined chemically with other chemical elements, often with oxygen or sulfur. This means the metal must be chemically separated from its compounds before it can be used.
What are three factors to know whether the metal is worth extracting or not?
- How easy it is to extract from it’s ore.
- How much metal the ore contains.
- The changing demands for a particular metal.
What is the reactive series for metal that also shows the non-metals? (top most reactive and bottom least reactive)
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Aluminum
Carbon - Zinc
- Iron
- Tin
- Lead
Hydrogen - Copper
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
How does reduction of oxide by carbon work?
The way a metal is extracted depends on it’s place in the reactivity series. Carbon will displace less reactive metal from it’s compounds. Carbon is used to extract some metals from one industry.
Why is carbon used to extract metals from ores?
Because carbon is more reactive than metals such as copper, zinc, lead, and iron it can be used to extract them.
How is metal extracted from ores using carbon?
Heat the metal oxide with carbon. The carbon removes the oxygen from the metal oxide to form carbon dioxide. The metal is also formed as an element.
metal + oxide ——> metal + carbon dioxide
What the removal of oxygen from a compound called?
Reduction
How does reduction of oxide by hydrogen work?
Another metal extracted by reduction of it’s oxide is tungsten. The non - metal used as the reducing agent is hydrogen. The tungsten obtained from reduction of its oxide by hydrogen is very pure.
Why don’t use carbon to extract tungsten from its oxide?
Even though carbon would be cheaper carbon can form a compound, tungsten carbide, with tungsten metal formed by reduction.
Why some metals we don’t separate the metals from their oxides by using carbon?
Metals that are more reactive are extracted by electrolysis of the molten metal compund.
