Metals Flashcards
What is an ore?
A rock with enough metal in it to be worth extracting
What are most ores?
Oxides
How are metals extracted from their ores?
By reduction or electrolysis
What is reduction by carbon?
Anything below carbon in the reactivity series can be reduced by carbon, by adding carbon to it which displaces the metal so you get metal and carbon dioxide
What is electrolysis?
Metals that are more reactive than carbon are broken down using electricity, by putting them in a liquid (electrolyte) which has free ions that conduct electricity, and electrons are taken away by the positive anode, and given away by the negative cathode, so the metal oxide splits
What is used to extract copper?
Iron because it is cheaper
What is bioleaching?
Using bacteria to separate copper from copper sulphide as the bacteria get energy from the bonds so separate it in the process, then produce a solution called a leachate which you can get the copper from by filtering
What is phytomining?
Growing plants in soil that contains copper, so the copper builds up in them so when you burn them you can collect copper from the ashes
What are the pros and cons of mining?
Pros are jobs, money into the local economy, cons are it causes noise pollution, destroys habitat and is dangerous
Why should you recycle metals?
To conserve supplies of them, to save money, to save energy, to lessen global warming, dimming and acid rain and to cut down on landfill
What are the properties of metals?
They are good conductors of heat and electricity and they are strong and malleable
What are copper’s properties?
It is a good conductor of electricity, it is strong and malleable and it doesn’t react with water
What are aluminium’s properties?
It is corrosion resistant and has a low density
What are titanium’s properties?
It is very strong, corrosion resistant and has a low density
What are alloys?
A mix of two metals or a metal and a non-metal
