Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Methods of extraction
Many metals are found in the Earth's crust as ores. An ore is usually a compound of the metal mixed with impurities. When the metal is dug up, a method must be used to separate the metal from the rest of the ore. This is called extracting the metal. The method of extraction depends on how reactive the metal is. The more reactive the metal, the more difficult it is to extract from its compound.
Electrolysis
Electrolysis is the most powerful extraction method. But it takes a lot of electricity and that makes it expensive. Hence, electrolysis is only used for the most reactive metals.
Metal:
Method of extraction:
Potassium
Electrolysis
Sodium
Electrolysis
Calcium
Electrolysis
Magnesium
Electrolysis
Aluminium
Electrolysis
Zinc
Iron
Lead
Copper
Roasting in air
Silver
Occur naturally
Gold
Occur naturally
The extraction of aluminium is dealt with in a separate learn its within this topic. Heating with Carbon monoxide: Used for extracting iron from iron ore using the blast furnace.
Roasting in Air: Used in extractingcopper from copper (I) sulphide (copper pyrites).
Recycling metals
Metals are non-renewable resources. This means once dug up it cannot be replaced. Hence, the supply will eventually run out.
For example: it is expected that tin will run out within the next 15 years and copper in the next 40 years!
Therefore,the recycling of these two useful metals and others such as iron and aluminium is most important.In recycling, metals are melted down before reshaping into their new use. However, this can be costly. Recycling companies will only recycle if it is economical!
The charge is placed a giant chimney called a blast furnace. The blast furnace is around 30 metres high and lined with fireproof bricks. Hot air is blasted through the bottom. Several reactions take place before the iron is finally produced. Oxygen in the air reacts with coke to give carbon dioxide:
Carbon dioxide produced in 1 + 2 react with more coke to produce carbon monoxide:
The carbon monoxide reduces the iron in the ore to give molten iron:
The limestone from 2, reacts with the sand to form slag (calcium silicate):
Both the slag and iron are drained from the bottom of the furnace. The slag is mainly used to build roads. The iron whilst molten is poured into moulds and left to solidify - this is called cast iron and is used to make railings and storage tanks. The rest of the iron is used to make steel.
At the cathode:
Here the aluminium ions receive electrons to become atoms again:
At the anode:
The oxide ions lose electrons to become oxygen molecules, O2:
Rusting
The corrosion of iron
When a metal is attacked by water, air or acids in their environment, they corrode. Corrosion results in the metal become weaker and brittle. The corrosion of iron and steel is specifically called rusting due to the red-brown substance called rust that forms in the presence of water and oxygen. The experiment below shows that an iron nail only rusts if both water and oxygen are present: