Obtaining and Using Metals

    Cards (58)

    • What is the purpose of the reactivity series of metals?
      To order metals by their reactivity
    • How is the reactivity series of metals produced?
      By comparing their characteristic reactions
    • What do metals produce when they react with water?
      Metal hydroxide and hydrogen gas
    • What is the reaction of calcium with water?
      Ca + 2H<sub>2</sub>O ⟶ Ca(OH)<sub>2</sub> + H<sub>2</sub>
    • How do magnesium, iron, and zinc react with cold water?
      They react very slowly
    • Which metals react with dilute acids?
      Only metals above hydrogen in the series
    • What happens to the reaction vigor as metal reactivity increases?
      More reactive metals react more vigorously
    • What do acids produce when they react with metals?
      Salt and hydrogen gas
    • What is the general equation for metal-acid reactions?
      Metal + acid ⟶ salt + hydrogen
    • What is the process of comparing metal reactivity using displacement reactions?
      • More reactive metal displaces less reactive metal
      • Less reactive metal slowly disappears from solution
      • Example: Mg displaces Cu from CuSO<sub>4</sub>
    • What happens to the color of CuSO<sub>4</sub> solution when magnesium displaces copper?
      The blue color fades to colorless
    • What is oxidation in terms of metal reactivity?
      Loss of electrons to become cations
    • How does the position of a metal in the reactivity series affect its oxidation?
      Higher metals oxidize more easily
    • What are unreactive metals known as?
      Native metals
    • Why do unreactive metals not need chemical extraction?
      They are found as uncombined elements
    • What is a metal ore?
      A rock containing enough metal for extraction
    • What is the extraction process for reactive metals?
      Electrolysis or reaction with more reactive material
    • What is the common extraction method for lower placed metals?
      Heating with carbon
    • What is bioleaching?
      Extraction using bacteria to recover metals
    • What is phytomining?
      Using plants to absorb metals from soil
    • What are the advantages and disadvantages of bioleaching and phytomining?
      Advantages:
      • Less environmental damage
      • Can extract metals from low-grade ores

      Disadvantages:
      • Slow processes
      • Require further purification methods
    • What is the main disadvantage of traditional mining methods?
      Causes significant environmental damage
    • What is the role of displacement in bioleaching and phytomining?
      To purify the extracted metal
    • Why is the extraction method linked to the reactivity series?
      It determines how easily metals can be oxidized
    • How does the position of a metal in the reactivity series affect its extraction method?
      Higher metals need electrolysis; lower metals use carbon
    • What is happening to the global demand for nickel and copper?
      It is increasing due to scarcity of ores
    • What are the two new methods of extracting metals mentioned?
      Phytoextraction and bioleaching
    • How do phytoextraction and bioleaching differ from traditional mining?
      They avoid significant environmental damage
    • What does traditional mining involve?
      Digging, moving, and disposing of rock
    • What is a disadvantage of biological methods of metal extraction?
      They are very slow and require purification
    • What is phytomining?
      Using plants to absorb metals from soil
    • How do plants concentrate metals during phytomining?
      Through their vascular system into shoots and leaves
    • What happens to the harvested parts of the plant in phytomining?
      They are dried and burned to extract metals
    • What is bioleaching?
      Using bacteria to extract metals from ores
    • What do some bacteria do in bioleaching?
      Break down ores to form acidic metal solutions
    • What is leachate?
      A solution containing metal ions from ores
    • How are metal ions extracted from leachate?
      By reduction to solid metal form
    • What types of ores is bioleaching often used for?
      Sulfides like CuS or FeS
    • What is a drawback of bioleaching?
      It produces toxic substances needing treatment
    • How is bioleaching used beyond primary extraction?
      In mining waste clean-up operations