Metals from rocks Flashcards
What is an ore?
An ore is a rock that contains enough metal to make it worthwhile extracting the metal from it.
What are the two ways of extracting metals from their ores?
Reduction and Electrolysis
What happens when an ore is reduced?
The oxygen is removed from the ore using carbon.
Give an example of a metal that can be extracted by reduction using carbon.
One of the below:
Zinc, Iron, Tin, copper, Lead, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
Metals _____ carbon in the reactivity series can be extracted using carbon.
Below
What is electrolysis?
It’s the breaking down of a substance using electricity.
Give an example of a metal that has to be extracted using electrolysis.
One of the below:
Aluminium, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium or Potassium.
What is an electrolyte and what’s it’s role in the process of electrolysis?
Metal salt solutions or molten metal oxides which have free ions which conduct the electricity in electrolysis.
How does a displacement reaction work?
A reactive metal in a solution of a dissolved metal compound replaces the less reactive metal in the compound.
Copper-rich ores are in short supple. Name the two methods that are used to extract copper from low grade ores.
Bioleaching and Phytomining
Explain what bioleaching involves?
It is where bacteria is used to separate copper from copper sulfide. The bacteria get energy from the bond between copper and sulfur, separating out the copper from the ore in the process.
Explain what phytomining involves?
Plants are grown in soil that contains copper, the copper from the soil then builds up in the leaves, the plant is then burned in a furnace and the copper can be collected in the ashes.
Give one pro and one con of mining.
Pros: Provides jobs and money, useful products can be made.
Cons: Noisy, scars the landscape, loss of habitats, deep mine shafts can be dangerous
