metals webquest
In this webquest you are going to research the various properies and reactivity of metals.
How We Get Pure Metals
(Note: you only need to know about metals in your reactivity series. Don’t worry about more obscure ones like cadmium, tungsten, cobalt etc.)
1. Least reactive metals: found in pure (‘native’)form. Which are these?
2. Fairly reactive metals: found as ores (compounds, often oxides or carbonates), and can be extracted using carbon to reducethe metal compound to the pure metal. Which are these?
3. Very reactivemetals: also found as ores, but cannot be extracted using carbon. Instead they are extracted using
electrolysis. Which are these?
4. You don’t need to know the details of electrolysis. But you do need to know why it is particularlyimportant to recycle the metals which we extract this way
Environmental and Social Impact of Mining and Extraction
First, watch the video‘Mining Iron Ore’on this site: http://science.howstuffworks.com/iron.htm
See also:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/extraction/iron.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/322107.stm
You should be able to answer the question:
5. Describe three environmental or social issues relating to the mining of metal ores.
Iron and Steel
Check out these websites
http://www.gcsescience.com/ex22.htm
http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/culture/scitech/iron_steel.html
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/extraction/iron.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/iron.htm (and links from there)
6. ‘Pig iron’ is the iron that comes out of a blast furnace. It is not pure iron. After it has been cast into shapes using moulds it is then called cast iron.
a) What are the properties of cast iron?
b) Give three uses of cast iron.
7. Various methods have been used over the centuries to obtain pure iron. What are the properties of pure iron?
8. Wrought iron is iron that is pure or almost pure, in particular containing very little carbon. It was used
to make decorative items, such as gates. It is no longer made on a large scale, and the last manufacturer of
wrought iron in the UK closed down in 1976. These days steel is used instead of wrough iron.
What do we mean by ‘steel’?
9. What are the properties of ‘low-carbon’ or mild steel? State two uses.
Other Metals and Their Alloys
First watch the video on alloys at:
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/27478-physical-science-alloys-video.htm
Then use http://www.frankswebspace.org.uk/ScienceAndMaths/chemistry/alloys.htm
http://www.frankswebspace.org.uk/ScienceAndMaths/chemistry/copper.htm and any other useful sites you can
find.
10. What are ‘transition metals’? What are their typical properties and uses?
11. What are the properties of ‘high-carbon’ steel? State two uses.
a) In ‘stainless steel’, which metal beginning with ‘c’ is mixed with the iron?
b) What special property does stainless steel have?
c) State two uses of stainless steel.
12. Pure copper, aluminium and gold are too soft for many uses and are usually used as alloys instead.
For each of these three metals, find out the name, composition and uses of one of its alloys.
13. We are running out of copper ores which are rich in copper. We are going to have to use ‘low-grade’ore instead.
What is low-grade ore, and what are the problems associated with using it?
14. Copper ore can be reduced to copper using carbon, or by ‘roasting’ the ore in air. However, it is
often then purified using electrolysis. What do we use very pure copper for? Why do we usually choose copper for
this use, and not other metals?
15. Aluminium and titanium are useful because of their relatively low density and resistance to corrosion.
Give two common uses of each.
16. Why are aluminium and titanium particularly expensive to extract?
17. What is a ‘smart alloy’?
Next, watch the video at:
http://www.5min.com/Video/Nitro-Wire-Trick---Weird-Science-86564284
18. The smart alloy ‘nitinol’ is used for making dental braces. Why is this better for the job than an ordinary alloy?
19. Find out another use for a smart alloy:
I hope you enjoyed your research.
How We Get Pure Metals
(Note: you only need to know about metals in your reactivity series. Don’t worry about more obscure ones like cadmium, tungsten, cobalt etc.)
1. Least reactive metals: found in pure (‘native’)form. Which are these?
2. Fairly reactive metals: found as ores (compounds, often oxides or carbonates), and can be extracted using carbon to reducethe metal compound to the pure metal. Which are these?
3. Very reactivemetals: also found as ores, but cannot be extracted using carbon. Instead they are extracted using
electrolysis. Which are these?
4. You don’t need to know the details of electrolysis. But you do need to know why it is particularlyimportant to recycle the metals which we extract this way
Environmental and Social Impact of Mining and Extraction
First, watch the video‘Mining Iron Ore’on this site: http://science.howstuffworks.com/iron.htm
See also:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/extraction/iron.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/322107.stm
You should be able to answer the question:
5. Describe three environmental or social issues relating to the mining of metal ores.
Iron and Steel
Check out these websites
http://www.gcsescience.com/ex22.htm
http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/culture/scitech/iron_steel.html
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/inorganic/extraction/iron.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/iron.htm (and links from there)
6. ‘Pig iron’ is the iron that comes out of a blast furnace. It is not pure iron. After it has been cast into shapes using moulds it is then called cast iron.
a) What are the properties of cast iron?
b) Give three uses of cast iron.
7. Various methods have been used over the centuries to obtain pure iron. What are the properties of pure iron?
8. Wrought iron is iron that is pure or almost pure, in particular containing very little carbon. It was used
to make decorative items, such as gates. It is no longer made on a large scale, and the last manufacturer of
wrought iron in the UK closed down in 1976. These days steel is used instead of wrough iron.
What do we mean by ‘steel’?
9. What are the properties of ‘low-carbon’ or mild steel? State two uses.
Other Metals and Their Alloys
First watch the video on alloys at:
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/27478-physical-science-alloys-video.htm
Then use http://www.frankswebspace.org.uk/ScienceAndMaths/chemistry/alloys.htm
http://www.frankswebspace.org.uk/ScienceAndMaths/chemistry/copper.htm and any other useful sites you can
find.
10. What are ‘transition metals’? What are their typical properties and uses?
11. What are the properties of ‘high-carbon’ steel? State two uses.
a) In ‘stainless steel’, which metal beginning with ‘c’ is mixed with the iron?
b) What special property does stainless steel have?
c) State two uses of stainless steel.
12. Pure copper, aluminium and gold are too soft for many uses and are usually used as alloys instead.
For each of these three metals, find out the name, composition and uses of one of its alloys.
13. We are running out of copper ores which are rich in copper. We are going to have to use ‘low-grade’ore instead.
What is low-grade ore, and what are the problems associated with using it?
14. Copper ore can be reduced to copper using carbon, or by ‘roasting’ the ore in air. However, it is
often then purified using electrolysis. What do we use very pure copper for? Why do we usually choose copper for
this use, and not other metals?
15. Aluminium and titanium are useful because of their relatively low density and resistance to corrosion.
Give two common uses of each.
16. Why are aluminium and titanium particularly expensive to extract?
17. What is a ‘smart alloy’?
Next, watch the video at:
http://www.5min.com/Video/Nitro-Wire-Trick---Weird-Science-86564284
18. The smart alloy ‘nitinol’ is used for making dental braces. Why is this better for the job than an ordinary alloy?
19. Find out another use for a smart alloy:
I hope you enjoyed your research.
