Using resources

Question 1

What are ceramics?

Answer 1

Non-metal solids with high melting points that aren’t made from carbon-based compounds

Question 2

What are clay’s properties?

Answer 2

It is a soft material so can be moulded into different shapes but when fired at high temperatures, hardens

Question 3

What are the properties off glass?

Answer 3

It is transparent can be moulded when hot and can be brittle when thin

Question 4

What is the difference between soda-lime glass and borosilicate glass?

Answer 4

Borosilicate has a higher melting point and it made of sand and boron trioxide whereas soda-lime glass is made of sand, limestone and sodium carbonate

Question 5

What is a composite?

Answer 5

Made of one material embedded in another; fibres or fragments of a material are surrounded by a matrix acting as a binder

Question 6

Give four examples of composite materials

Answer 6

Fibreglass (glass in a polymer matrix), carbon fibre (carbon fibres or nanotubes in a polymer matrix), concrete (a mixture of sand and gravel embedded in cement) and wood (cellulose fibres in an organic polymer matrix)

Question 7

How is a low density polyethene made and what are it’s properties?

Answer 7

Made from ethene at a moderate temperature under a high pressure and normally with a catalyst. It is flexible

Question 8

How is a high density polyethene made and what are it’s properties?

Answer 8

Made from ethene at a lower temperature with a different catalyst. It is more rigid

Question 9

What is the difference between thermosoftening polymers and thermosetting polymers?

Answer 9

Thermosoftening: individual polymer chains entwined together and can be melted/remoulded
Thermosetting: monomers that form cross links between polymer chains, don’t soften when heated, much stronger

Question 10

What are the properties of ceramics?

Answer 10

Insulators of heat and electricity, brittle and stiff

Question 11

What are the properties of composites?

Answer 11

Depends on the reinforcement and matrix/binder used to make them, which means that they have many different uses

Question 12

What are the properties of polymers?

Answer 12

Insulators of heat and electricity, flexible and easily moulded

Question 13

What are the properties of metals?

Answer 13

Malleable, good conductors of heat and electricity, ductile, shiny and stiff

Question 14

Why are pure metals turned into alloys?

Answer 14

Their regular structure makes them too soft for many uses so by adding another element to the metal, the layers are disrupted, making it harder than the pure metal

Question 15

Give four examples of alloys and their uses

Answer 15

Bronze (copper + tin) for medals/decorative ornaments, brass (copper + zinc) for things that need low friction e.g. tap, gold alloys for jewelry and aluminium alloys for aircraft (low density and hard)

Question 16

Give the word equation for the corrosion (rusting) of iron

Answer 16

Iron + oxygen + water –> hydrated iron (III) oxide

Question 17

Why does all the iron in an object eventually corrode if left to rust?

Answer 17

Corrosion only happens on the surface of a material, but as the rust flakes off, it leaves more ion available to rust again

Question 18

How can you show that both air and water are needed to rust?

Answer 18

Putting an ion nail in a boiling tube with only water or only air will not rust, however putting it in a tube with both will result in it rusting

Question 19

How can rusting be prevented?

Answer 19

Painting/coating with plastic, electroplating by using electrolysis to reduce metal ions onto an iron electrode (the layer of metal that is formed will corrode instead of the iron) and oiling/greasing

Question 20

How can metals be protected by galvanism?

Answer 20

The object is sprayed with a coat of zinc, which is protective but if scratched, can act as a sacrificial metal

Question 21

What are natural resources?

Answer 21

Anything that forms without human input; they include anything that comes from the earth, sea or air

Question 22

What are renewable resources?

Answer 22

Resources which reform at a similar rate to or faster than we use them

Question 23

What are finite resources?

Answer 23

Resources that aren’t formed quickly to be considered replaceable e.g. fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, minerals and metals

Question 24

What are the benefits and risks of mining metal ores?

Answer 24

Benefits: Useful products, gives jobs and brings money to the area
Risks: Bad for the environment, uses a lot of energy, scars the landscape, produces lots of waste and destroys habitats

Question 25

What is sustainable development?

Answer 25

An approach to development that takes account of the needs of present society whilst not damaging the lives of future generations

Question 26

What is bioleaching?

Answer 26

Bacteria are used to convert copper compounds in the ore into soluble copper compounds, spearating out the copper in the process. The leachate (solution produced) contains copper ions which can be extracted

Question 27

What is phytomining?

Answer 27

Plants are grown in soil that contains copper, then once grown, are harvested, dried and burnt. The ashes contains soluble copper compounds from which copper can be extracted

Question 28

Why is recycling metals important?

Answer 28

It uses much less energy than is needed to mine, conserves the finite amount of each metal in the earth and cuts down on waste being sent to the landfill

Question 29

How can glass be recycled?

Answer 29

They can be reused with reshaping and they can be crushed, melted and reshaped. They can also be sued in different purposes such as insulating glass wool

Question 30

What is a life cycle assessment?

Answer 30

It looks at every stage of a product's life to assess the impact it would have on the environment

Question 31

What are the four stages in a life cycle assessment?

Answer 31

Getting the raw materials, manufacture and packaging, using the product and product disposal

Question 32

What are the problems with using a life cycle assessment?

Answer 32

It is hard to give the effects of some pollutant a numerical value, they can be biased due to the person carrying out the assessment and selective LCA's can also be biased as they can be written to give a company positive advertising

Question 33

What is potable water?

Answer 33

Water that has been treated or is naturally safe for humans to drink

Question 34

What is the difference between pure and potable water?

Answer 34

Pure water contains only H2O molecules but potable water can contain many other dissolved compounds

Question 35

What is filtration?

Answer 35

A wire mesh screens out large twigs and then gravel and sand beds filter out any other solid bits

Question 36

What is sterilisation?

Answer 36

Water is sterilised to kill nay harmful microbes or bacteria by bubbling chlorine gas through it or by using ozone or ultraviolet light

Question 37

Why are distillation and reverse osmosis not commonly used?

Answer 37

They need a lot of energy, meaning that they are very expensive and not practical for producing large quantities of fresh water

Question 38

How is reverse osmosis used to treat sea water?

Answer 38

Salty water is passed through a membrane that only allows water molecules to pass through, leaving ions and large molecules trapped by the membrane

Question 39

What sources produce waste water?

Answer 39

Home uses, agricultural systems and industrial processes such as the haber process

Question 40

How is sewage treated?

Answer 40

It is screened (large bits of material are removed), stands in settlement tank, undergoes sedimentation, lighter effluent is removed from top, treated by biological aerobic digestion to break down organic matter, sludge from bottom is broken down by anaerobic digestion, methane gas is released, remaining sludge can be sued as fertiliser and chemicals can be added to water to make it safe

Question 41

Why is sewage treatment more effective in areas with less fresh water?

Answer 41

It requires more processes than treating fresh water but uses less energy than the desalination of slat water

Question 42

How are the reactants obtained when making ammonia?

Answer 42

The nitrogen is obtained from the air and the hydrogen comes from reacting methane with steam to form hydrogen and carbon dioxide

Question 43

What are the conditions used in the haber process?

Answer 43

The reactant gases are passed over an iron catalyst, the temperature is 450°C and the pressure is 220 atmospheres

Question 44

How is nothing wasted in the haber process?

Answer 44

The ammonia is formed as a gas, bus as it cools, it condenses into a liquid which is removed. The unused nitrogen and hydrogen are recycled back into the system to react again

Question 45

Why is the temperature used in the haber process a compromise?

Answer 45

The forward reaction in the Haber process is exothermic, meaning that the yield is greater at lower temperatures, however the rate of reaction will be faster at higher temperatures, so 450°C is a compromise

Question 46

Why is the pressure used in the haber process a compromise?

Answer 46

Higher pressure moves the position of the equilibrium towards the products due to how there are twice as many molecules on the left hand side. This means that a higher pressure gives a higher yield, however that can be expensive so 200 atm is a compromise

Question 47

Why are NPK fertilisers used in farming?

Answer 47

If plants don't get nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, their growth and life processes are affected. These elements can be missing from the soil if they have been used up by a previous crop. By using these, farmers can get a higher yield

Question 48

Give the word equation of the reaction which produces ammonium nitrate

Answer 48

Ammonia + nitric acid --> ammonium nitrate

Question 49

How is ammonium nitrate made in industry?

Answer 49

The reaction is carried out in giant vats, at high concentrations resulting in a very exothermic reaction. The heat released is used to evaporate water from the mixture to make a very concentrated ammonium nitrate product

Question 50

How is ammonium nitrate made in the lab?

Answer 50

The reaction is carried out on a much smaller scale by titration and crystallisation. the reactants are at a much lower conc than in industry, so less heat is produced and is safer. After the titration, the mixture is crystallised to give pure ammonium nitrate crystals (not done in industry as is too slow)

Question 51

How can phosphate be gotten?

Answer 51

Phosphate rock is mined, however the salts in the rock are insoluble so it is reacted with different types of acids to produce soluble phosphate that a plant can use as nutrients