Topic 4a- Metals (Paper 1) Flashcards
What is oxidation?
Loss of electrons
What is reduction?
Gain of electrons
What do reducing agents do?
Cause another substance to be reduced (remove oxygen from the other substance.)
What is a redox reaction?
A reaction in which both reduction and oxidation occur.
What does electrolysis do and what type of bond must the substance have for it to work?
Electrolysis uses an anode and a cathode to attract positively and negatively charged particles in an ionic bond to different areas- therefore separating the metal from the non-metal.
List the reactivity series (most reactive at top / least at bottom)
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Aluminium
- Carbon
- Zinc
- Iron
- Hydrogen
- Copper
- Silver
- Gold
What does it mean if a substance is above hydrogen in the reactivity series?
It will react with acids
What does it mean if a substance is below hydrogen in the reactivity series?
It will not react with acids
What does it mean if a substance is above carbon in the reactivity series?
It will be extracted using electrolysis
What does it mean if a substance is below carbon in the reactivity series?
It can be extracted using carbon
metal + water → ?
metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen
acid + metal →
acid + metal → salt + hydrogen
What is a displacement reaction?
Where a more reactive substance replaces a less reactive one
What is bioleaching?
Using bacteria which convert metal compounds in the ore into soluble metal compounds, separating out the metal from the ore in the process.
What is phytoextraction?
Plants are put in soil containing metal compounds.
The plants cannot get rid of the metals so the metal compounds gradually build up in the leaves. The plants are then harvested and burned, with the metals then being extracted using electrolysis or displacement.
What are alternative methods for extracting metals?
- bioleaching
- phytoextraction
What can reactive metals be kept in to prevent them from reacting with the environment?
mineral oil
