metals

• Ores

  Minerals found in the Earth's crust that contain metal compounds, from which metals can be extracted
• Reactivity series

  Method used to extract metals from their ores depends on the reactivity of the metal
• Reactivity series


  • Potassium
  • Sodium
  • Magnesium
  • Aluminium
  • (Carbon)
  • Zinc
  • Iron
  • Tin
  • Lead
  • Copper
  • Silver
  • Gold
• Gold and silver


  • They are examples of metals that are found native
  • The most reactive metals are extracted by electrolysis
  • Those towards the middle of the reactivity series can be chemically reduced
• Displacement reaction

  A more reactive metal will displace a less reactive metal from a solution of one of its salts
• Competition reaction


  A more reactive metal will remove oxygen from the oxide of a less reactive metal when a mixture of the two is heated
• Transition metals


  • Found in the centre of the Periodic Table
  • Display typical metallic properties
  • Many are useful catalysts
  • Can form more than one type of ion
  • Their compounds are often coloured
• Colour of transition metal ion compounds/solutions

  • Fe2+ - pale green
  • Fe3+ - brown
  • Cu2+ - blue
• Testing for transition metal ions

  Use a solution of sodium hydroxide
• Transition metal ion tests

  • Cu2+(aq) + 2OH–(aq) → Cu(OH)2(s) (blue precipitate)
  • Fe2+(aq) + 2OH–(aq) → Fe(OH)2(s) (green precipitate)
  • Fe3+(aq) + 2OH–(aq) → Fe(OH)3(s) (orange/brown precipitate)
• Alloy

  A mixture made by mixing molten metals, whose properties can be modified by changing its composition
• Types of steel


  • Mild steel (iron plus 0.15-0.3% carbon) - malleable, ductile and easily shaped
  • High carbon steel (iron plus 0.7-1.5% carbon) - harder but more brittle
• Blast furnace

  1. Oxygen from the hot air reacts with carbon (coke) to form carbon monoxide

  2. Carbon monoxide then reacts with iron(III) oxide to give iron

  3. Limestone decomposes thermally to form calcium oxide

  4. Calcium reacts with silicon dioxide (sand) to form slag
• Oxidation


  Gain of oxygen
• Reduction


  Loss of oxygen
• Reactions in the blast furnace

  • Fe2O3 + 3CO → 2Fe + 3CO2
• Raw materials for the blast furnace

  • Iron ore: source of iron
  • Coke: as a fuel and to produce carbon monoxide for the reduction
  • Limestone: to remove impurities (slag formation)
  • Hot air: provides oxygen so that coke can burn