Science Unit 4 Lesson 8 Flashcards
What are rare-earth elements?
A group of metallic elements in the lanthanide series that are difficult and dangerous to extract
How many elements are on the periodic table?
118
How many elements are in the human body?
6
How many element are in a phone?
about 75
What is lithium? State its chararterstics?
Lithium is a soft metal and the lightest element that is solid at standard room temperature and pressure. It is highly reactive and flammable.
What role does lithium play in cellphones?
Lithium is also one of the primary components of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in smartphones and other portable electronics.
Are lithium ion batteries safe?
No, Lithium ion batteries have caused numerous fires and explosions when they’ve been mishandled or damaged.
What are lithium batteries made out of?
Lithium-ion batteries are made up of an anode, a cathode, a separator, an electrolyte, and two current collectors, one positive and one negative
Where is the lithium located in the battery?
In the anode and the cathode
How does the lithium ion battery work?
The electrolyte carries positively charged lithium ions from the anode to the cathode. This movement of ions produces free electrons in the anode, which in turn creates a charge at the positive current collector. From there, the electrical current flows into the smartphone (or other device) and through the circuits to the negative current collector.
Is Cobalt a key component in lithium-ion batteries?
Cobalt is a key component in lithium-ion batteries.
Most lithium-ion batteries are based on a mixture of what?
Most lithium-ion batteries are based on a mixture of lithium and cobalt such as lithium cobalt oxide or lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide.
Other than inside batteries, where can cobalt be found?
paint
jet engines
and other products
Smartphone batteries have how many grams of cobalt?
Smartphone batteries have around 8.5 grams (0.3 ounces) of cobalt which is equivalent to the weight of about three pennies.
Electric car batteries have how many kiolograms of cobalt?
Electric car batteries, however, contain as much as 6.8 kilograms (15 pounds) of cobalt, which is about the weight of two gallons of milk.
Silicon is the ______ most abundant element in Earth’s crust?
second
What type of element is silicon?
Non-metallic
How is silicon found in nature?
is not found in its pure form in nature
Where is silicon found?
Silicon is often found in silicon dioxide, also known as silica, as a main component of sand.
Silicon is the main component of what?
quartz crystals
In electronics silicon is used to make what?
In electronics, silicon is used to make computer chips, transistors, silicon diodes, and other electronic circuits and switching devices because it is an ideal semiconductor
What is a semiconductor?
A semiconductor is a crystal material that is more able to conduct electricity as its temperature goes up.
Silicon chips are used in what?
Silicon chips, used in computers, cell phones, and even microwave ovens, can be a half inch square yet contain millions of transistors providing control and memory functions.
What is the screen of a device made out of?
silica (silicon dioxide or
quartz) sand, with ceramic materials and
then add potassium.
Primary: Silica Secondary: The mixed with ceramic materials and potassium
What are transparent circuits made out of?
Primary: tin
Comes from: Cassiterite
What is used to make the screen’s conductive coating and LEDs?
Primary: Indium and germanium
Comes From: Sphalerite
…
Sphalerite is the source of indium (used in the screen’s conductive coating) and germanium (used in displays and LEDs).
What is chalcopyrite the source of?
The content of copper in a mobile device
far exceeds the amount of any other
metal. Copper conducts electricity and
heat and comes from the source mineral
chalcopyrite
What is used to make electrical pathways through a device?
Primary: Silver
Comes From: Tetrahedrite
…
Tetrahedrite is a primary source of silver. Silver-based inks on compos- ite boards create electrical pathways through a device.
What is used to make radio frequencies and power amplifiers?
Primary: Arsenic
Comes From: Arsenopyrite
What is added to make capacitors to regulate voltage and improve the audio quality of a device?
Primary: Tantalum
Comes From: tantalite
What is used to make heat sinks and provides the mass for mobile phone vibrations?
Primary: Tungsten
Comes from: wolframite
What is main source of lithium?
Spodumene and subsurface brines are
the sources of lithium used in cathodes
of lithium-ion batteries.
What is graphite used for in a device?
Anodes of lithium batteries because of its electrical and thermal conductivity.
What is bastnaesite the source of?
is a source of rare-earth
elements used to produce magnets in
speakers, microphones, and vibration
motors.
What makes up the positive and negative parts of a battery?
Positive: lithium
Negative: graphite
Where are silicon and tantalum found?
In the circuit board
Where is bastnasite found?
Speakers
How does mining rare-earth minerals affect the earth surface?
A large amount of waste is produced in the concentration, purification, and separation of rare-earth minerals. This waste pollutes the air and water around the mining cite with sulfur oxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, radiative substances, heavy metals, acids, fluorides, ammonium, chromium, and lead.
How does mining gold affect earth’s surface?
A gold mine contaminates land and water with mercury and cyanide, both of which are toxic to the environment. Extracting and processing the gold of a single ring can generate up to 40 thousand pounds of waste.
True or False.
Gold mining is one of the most destructive industries in the world.
True
How does lithium mining affect the environment?
In addition to using so much water, lithium mining often leaks toxic chemicals in the water supply, killing organisms.
What does lithium mining require?
lots of water
In on region of Chile, mining accounts for ___ percent of water usage.
65
In a lithium mining operation, how much fish was found dead?
One study found contaminated fish up to 150 miles downstream fro a lithium mining operation.
What does aluminum mining do to Earth’s surface?
Aluminum mines strip all native vegetation in the mining region. Resulting in a loss of habitat, food for wild life, and soil erosion. The toxic waste that remains is deposited into excavated mine pits, where it ultimately seep into aquifers, contaminating local water sources.
The Indonesian island of Bangka provides over _____ of the world’s tin.
30%
Tin operations in Bangka happen in the water, how does it affect Earth’s surface?
Mining operations in the waters off the island have destroyed up to 60% of the local coral reef, seagrass, and mangroves.
What is the definition is tailings?
Material left over after the valuable resources have been removed from ore
Why are tailing ponds good and bad?
Tailing ponds are a way to “clean up” tailings, however, these can fail causing toxic waste spills, which are harmful to the local ecosystem, waterways, and humans.
