Metals

Elements found in the Earth’s crust

Metals make up a relatively small proportion of the
Earth’s crust and are normally found in rocks as ores
Oxygen 46%
Silicon 28%
Aluminium 8%
Iron 5%
Calcium 4%
Sodium 3%
Magnesium 2%
Potassium 2%
Titanium 0.5%
Hydrogen 0.5%
All other elements1%
 Most metals are found as ores
Bauxite – Haematite – Malachite –
aluminium oxide iron oxide copper carbonate
(Al2O3) (Fe2O3) (CuCO3)

In ores, the metal or metal compound is concentrated

enough to make it economic to extract the metal.

Some unreactive metals such as

gold can be found as the metal
itself – chemical separation is not
needed.
The method used to extract a metal from its ore
depends on the reactivity of the metal.
Most K
reactive Na Very reactive metals – extracted
Ca using electrolysis
Mg
Al
C
Zn
More reactive metals – usually
Fe
extracted by reduction – heating with
Sn carbon to remove oxygen
Pb
H
Cu
Ag Unreactive metals – little or
Least Au no extraction needed
reactive Pt
Sometimes non-metals are included for reference.
 The Blast Furnace
• The common ores of
iron are both iron
oxides (Fe2O3), and
these can be reduced
to iron by heating
them with carbon in
the form of coke.

A blast furnace
The Heat Source
The air blown into the bottom of the
furnace is heated using the hot waste
gases from the top.

The coke (impure carbon) burns in the blast

of hot air to form carbon dioxide.

This reaction is the main source of heat in

the furnace.
Reduction of the Ore
At the high temperature at the bottom of
the furnace, carbon dioxide reacts with
carbon to produce carbon monoxide.

The temperature of the furnace is hot

enough to melt the iron which trickles down
to the bottom where it can be tapped off.
The Function of Limestone
• Iron ore isn't pure iron oxide
- it also contains an
assortment of rocky material.

• The limestone (calcium

carbonate) is added to
convert this into slag which
melts and runs to the bottom.

• The heat of the furnace

decomposes the limestone to
give calcium oxide.
The extraction of iron – reduction in the blast furnace
Raw materials
ron ore (haematite)
I_______
oke
C____
L________
imestone hot waste gases

iron oxide + carbon (coke)

iron + carbon dioxide

a reduction (loss of
oxygen) – the iron oxide is 1500oC
reduced to iron metal
hot air hot air

molten slag
molten iron
Blast furnaces (for extracting iron) at Port Talbot
 Steel
Iron from the blast furnace (cast iron) is brittle since it
contains about 4% carbon. It therefore has limited uses.

Similarly pure iron (wrought iron) is too soft for many uses.

Therefore most iron is

converted into steel.

Steel is basically iron with

up to 1.5% carbon.
Many other metals can
be added to make alloy
Iron from the blast
steels with a wide range furnace being
of properties. converted into steel
Low carbon
steel (mild
steel) is easily
shaped
The Angel of the
North is made of a
steel alloy – iron
combined with a
small amount of
copper
Stainless steel (iron
with about 15%
chromium) is perfect
for cutlery and razor
blades etc.
Stainless steel doesn’t
rust.
 Metals are malleable
They can be hammered or bent into shape
Most pure metals have their atoms arranged in a
regular pattern and the layers of atoms can easily
slide over one another when a force is applied.

Force causes layers of

atoms to slide over one
another
 Alloys are harder than pure metals

Alloys are mixtures of metals (or in the case of some

steels iron mixed with carbon). They are stronger than
pure metals.

The different sized atoms of

other metals stop the layers
sliding over one another
Copper
Malachite – Polished
copper ore malachite

Copper is a good heat and electrical conductor and

used for saucepans and electrical wire.
Since it is an unreactive metal it is also used for water
pipes and coinage.
The outside of the
Statue of Liberty is
made from copper.

Over time, the colour

has changed as the
copper has
weathered.
Why are aluminium alloys used for the following?
 Aluminium

Aluminium is the most common metal in the Earth's

crust.

Aluminium is extracted
from the ore bauxite

However it is a reactive metal (high in the reactivity

series) and has to be extracted using electrolysis
(passing electricity through the molten ore).

Because lots of energy is needed and there are several

stages to the process, aluminium is relatively expensive
despite being a common metal.
Open cast mining of bauxite in Australia
 Open cast mining for metal ores
What effect does this have on
the environment?
 Uses of aluminium
Like most metals, pure aluminium is not used very
much – it is usually made into alloys.

Alloys of aluminium have low density and high

strength, vital for the aerospace industry.

Aluminium alloys
were used to make
the external fuel
tanks of the space
shuttle.
Because of its low density Although aluminium is
and good electrical a reactive metal it is
conductivity, aluminium normally covered with a
is used in overhead power protective oxide layer
cables. and doesn’t corrode
easily.
 Titanium
Like aluminium, titanium is an Titanium ore

extremely useful metal because it is

light, strong and resists corrosion.

It was used in the manufacture ….. and is used in artificial hip

of Concorde joints
 The transition metals These are found in the
middle block of the
Periodic Table

Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn

They are useful metals and have typical metallic properties:

Good conductors of heat and electricity Strong

High melting point Malleable

Recycling metals

Six billion aluminium cans are made each

year – this is enough to reach to the moon
and back!
It takes the same amount of energy to make one new
aluminium can as it does to make twenty recycled cans!
So recycling metals such as aluminium:

Saves energy
Protects the environment – less rain forest has
to be cut down to dig out metal ores
Conserves the limited supplies of metal
ores
Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfill
sites
Smart alloys
After they are bent or deformed,
these alloys regain their original
shape – they have a shape
memory.
They have many uses
e.g.
Dental braces
The dental brace pulls
the teeth into the right
position as it warms
up!
Opening up collapsed arteries
Spectacle frames

Spectacle frames made of ‘smart

alloys’ return quickly to their
original shape after being bent.