Getting Metals From Rocks

Question 1

What unreactive metal can be found on Earth as a metal itself, rather than itself?

Answer 1

Gold.

Question 2

What is a metal ore?

Answer 2

A rock which contains enough metal to make it worthwhile extracting the metal from it.

Question 3

Ores

Answer 3

Ores are mostly the oxide of a metal.

For example:

The main aluminium ore is called bauxite- it’s aluminium oxide (Al2O3).

Question 4

How are most metals extracted from their ore?

Answer 4

Using a chemical reaction.

Question 5

How can the economics of metal extraction change over time?

Answer 5

• If the market price of a metal drops, it might not be worth extracting it.
• If the price increases a lot then it might be worth more extracting more of it.
• Technology improving makes it possible to extract more metal from a rock that oiginally wasnt possible. Might now be worth extracting metals that wasn’t worth extracting in the first past.

Question 6

How are metals extracted from their ore?

Answer 6

• Chemically- by reduction
• or by electrolysis (splitting with electricity).

Some ores may have to be concentrated before the metal is extracted-

This involves getting rid of unwanted rocky material.

Electrolysis can also be used to purify the extracted metals.