Metal Ores Flashcards
what is an ore
a rock that contains enough metals or their compounds to make its extraction economical
how do metals corrode
when they react with substances around them
how can copper be separated from copper oxide
by heating it with hydrogen gas
this will cause the copper oxide to lose its oxygen and form water
what is the negative of using electrolysis to extract metals from ores
electricity is expensive
what are the 2 main ways to extract metals
electrolysis
reduction by heating with carbon
which metals can be extracted by heating with carbon
metals that are less reactive than carbon
what are 2 metals that are less reactive than carbon
zinc
iron
how is iron extraction with carbon reduction
iron oxide is heated with carbon in a blast furnace which causes iron oxide to be reduced and form iron and carbon monoxide
what is the benefit of low-grade ores
are more common because most high-grade ores have been used up
what are 3 disadvantages of low-grade ores
are less profitable
use more energy
produce more waste
how can scrap iron be used to extract copper from copper sulfate
iron is more reactive than copper so it can displace it from its copper compounds
what are 2 biological ways of metal extraction
phytoextraction
bioleaching
what is phytoextraction
the biological method of metal extraction which uses plants to absorb metal compounds using their roots. which means the plants can be burned to produce ash that contains metal compounds
what is bioleaching
using bacteria to extract metals
how can bioleaching be used to extract copper from Copper sulfide
the bacteria can oxidise sulfide ions, which will cause the compound to be broken down and CU2+ ions to be released
