Preliminary Chemistry- Dot Points on Metals

Metals -Describe the use of common alloys including steel,

brass, and solder and explain how these relate to their
1. Metals have been extracted and used for many properties.
thousands of years.

-Outline and examine some uses of different Alloy Properties Uses

metals through history, including contemporary
uses, as uncombined metals and alloys.
Mild Soft and malleable Car bodies, roofing,
Copper Age (3200 - 2300 BC): Copper was the first Steels pipes, nuts and bolts
metal to be extracted from its ore. Molten copper
was used to make ornaments and utensils. Its MP Structural High tensile Beams, girders,
was very high and its products were soft. Steels strength, hard railways, concrete
reinforcement
Bronze Age (2300 – 1200 BC): Heating copper with
tin produces bronze. Bronze was much harder than
Brass Lustrous gold Plumbing, musical
copper and had a lower MP and was used for appearance, hard, instruments,
making tools and weapons. easily machined decorations

Iron Age(1200 BC – 1AD): Iron was more reactive

than copper so it required a higher temperature to Bronze Hard, resists Casting statues,
extract. Hematite (Fe2O3) was mixed with charcoal corrosion, easily shipping propellers
cast
and heated in a primitive furnace to obtain a high
temperature. It replaced bronze for making
weapons as it had a higher tensile strength and was Solder Low MP, adheres Joining metals
harder than bronze. firmly to other together
metals
Modern Age (1 AD – present): The modern age was
characterized by the extraction and use of many
-Explain why energy input is necessary to extract a
other metals such as aluminum, chromium, and
metal from its ore
alloys. Although iron and its alloys are still the most
widely used metal today, many other metals have In order to break the chemical bonds in the compounds,
come into common use due to advancements in energy such as heat or electricity is required to break
extraction technology. these bonds and extract the metal.

-Identify why there are more metals available for

people to use then there were 200 years ago.

Many metals are available because of advancement in

extraction techniques and lower cost of electricity
generation. Two hundred years ago, the extraction
technology was not as advanced and this resulted in
less metals able to be extracted and made available for
use.

2. Metals differ in their reactivity with other

chemicals and this influences their uses.

By Peter Huynh
Preliminary Chemistry- Dot Points on Metals
-Describe observable changes when metals react
with dilute acid, water, and oxygen.
Reactions with oxygen: Most metals will react with
oxygen in the air at room temperature to form metal
oxides. When metals react with gases to form new
substances, this is called corrosion. Corrosion causes
the metal to become weaker.
Metal + Oxygen → Metal Oxide
Reactions with water: Most metals combine with water
to form hydrogen and a metal hydroxide.
Metal + Water → Hydrogen + Metal Hydroxide
Reactions with acids: During a reaction, the metal
dissolves as electrons are lost and cations are formed.
Hydrogen ions from the acid gain these electrons and
form hydrogen gas. This is called a redox reaction.
Metal + Acid → Salt + Hydrogen
-Describe and justify the criteria used to place metals
into an order of activity based on their ease of
reactions with oxygen, water, and dilute acids.
The reactivity of metals can be listed in sequence.
Metals on the bottom or further to the left tend to be
most reactive.
-Identify the reactions of metals with acids as requiring
the transfer of electrons.
During a reaction, the metal dissolves and gives up
electron and becomes positively charged. The hydrogen
ions gain electrons to form hydrogen gas. Because the
reaction involves the transfer of electrons, it is called a
redox (reduction – oxidation) reaction. OILRIG
-Outline examples of the selection of metals for
different purposes based on the reactivity, with a
particular emphasis on current developments in the
use of metals.
By Peter Huynh
Metals are used for different purposed depending on
many factors such as abundance, ease of extraction,
hardness, and reactivity.
Metals with a low reactivity such as gold and silver are
used in jewellery because of their shiny lustre and the
fact that they do not tarnish easily.
Magnesium, on the other hand, is highly reactive. It is
used to protect less reactive metals from corrosion.
Magnesium is also highly reactive when burnt in oxygen
and is used in flares and some fireworks.
-Outline the relationship between the relative
activities of metals and their position on the Periodic
Table.
The most reactive metals are in the first group, furthest
to the left. Because of their valency, they will easily
react with other elements in order to lose electrons.
Generally, the further the metal is to the right of the
periodic table, the less reactive it is. This is because the
metal tends to want to keep its electrons more.
-Identify the importance of first ionization energy in
determining the relative reactivity of metals.
The first ionization energy is the energy needed to
remove the first electron from an element in the
gaseous state.
The less energy required removing the first electron
from an element, the more reactive it is. This is because
it is easier for the electron to give electrons to another
element.
3. As metals and other elements were discovered,
scientists recognized that patterns in their physical and
chemical properties could be used to organize the
elements in the periodic table.
-Identify an appropriate model that has been
developed to describe the atomic structure
Bohr’s model: The nucleus is in the centre of the atom
and contains protons and neutrons. The electrons are
Preliminary Chemistry- Dot Points on Metals
around the nucleus orbiting in electrons shells
represented by circles. Property Trend going Trend going
across down
-Outline the history of the development of the Periodic
Table including its origins, the original data used to Electrical Decreases as Increases
construct it and the predictions made after its Conductivity elements get
construction less metallic

1800s: Around 30 elements were known. Antoine

Ionization Increases as Decreases as
Lavoiser classifies the elements into metals and non-
Energy elements get electrons further
metals. less metallic from nucleus

1829: Dobereiner, a German scientist, recognizes

physical and chemical similarities among groups of 3 Atomic Radius Decreases as the Increases as
elements. He calls these groups “Triads”. nucleus gets there are more
more positive shells
1864: About 40 elements had been discovered. John
Newlands proposes law of octaves where elements MP/BP Increases from Decreases from
were ordered according to atomic weight. group I to IV but group I to IV but
then decreases then increases
1869: Russian chemist Mendeleev proposes the
periodic law where elements are ordered according to
Valency Decreases as Increases
atomic weight. elements get
less metallic
1914: British chemist Henry Mosely proposed a
modified version of Mendeleev’s law where elements
were ordered according to their atomic numbers. Electronegativity Increases Decreases

-Explain the relationship between the position of Reactivity Decreases Increases

elements in the Periodic Table and:

*Electrical Conductivity Electronegativity: Tendency of an atom to attract

electrons
*Ionization Energy
4. For efficient resources use, industrial chemical
*Atomic Radius reactions must use measured amounts for each
reactant.
*Melting/Boiling Point
-Define the mole as the number of atoms in exactly
*Valency 12g of carbon-12.

*Electronegativity A mole is simply a number of atoms. That number is

known as Avogadro’s number and its value is the exact
*Reactivity
number of atoms in 12g of carbon-12: 6.02 x1023.

-Compare mass changes in sample of metals when

they combine with oxygen.

By Peter Huynh
Preliminary Chemistry- Dot Points on Metals
The total mass of the system remains constant in a
chemical reaction. When metals react with oxygen in
the air, they generally form metal oxides. The oxygen
combines with the metal and adds mass to the original
metal.
-Describe the contribution of Gay-Lussac to the
understanding of the gaseous reactions and apply this
to an understanding of the mole concept.
Gay-Lussac contributed to the understanding of gaseous
reactions by discovering that gases always combine in
whole number ratios.
-Recount Avogadro’s law and describe its importance
in developing the mole concept.
Avogadro stated that “Equal volumes of all gases,
measured of the same temperature and pressure,
contain equal numbers of molecules.”
-Distinguish between empirical and molecular
formulae.
The molecular formula is exactly how many of each
element are present in a molecule whereas the
empirical formula is a simple whole number ratio of the
elements in a molecule.
5. The relative abundance and ease of extraction of
metals influences their value and breadth of use in the
community.
-Define the terms mineral and ore with reference to
economic and non-economic deposits of natural
resources.
Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances of
a metal found in the Earth’s crust.
Ores are a deposit of minerals considered to be
economically worth mining for the extraction of one or
more metals.
-Describe the relationship between the commercial
prices of common metals, their abundances, and
relative costs of production.
By Peter Huynh
The commercial price of a metal depends on many
factors such as:
-Abundance: Greater abundance means higher supply
which means lower price.
-Cost of extraction: More reactive metals are more
expensive since it takes more energy to extract them.
-Location: If the ore is in a remote place, the cost of
extraction would be greater and therefore the price
would increase.
-Explain why ores are non-renewable resources.
Ores were formed during the evolution of the universe
and planets and are therefore non-renewable
resources.
-Describe the separation processes, chemical
equations and energy considerations involved in the
extraction of copper from its one of ores.
1) Mining, crushing, and grinding (physical change)
2) Froth floatation- The copper minerals adhere to the
solution and rise to the top and are collected. (physical
change)
3) Roasting and smelting- The copper is roasted in air.
2 CuFeS 2 +4 O 2 → Cu 2 S s+ 2 FeO s +3 SO2
s g g
The mixture is then heated with sand to a sufficiently
high temperature. This produces two immiscible liquids.
FeO s + SiO2 → FeSiO3
s l
The liquid FeSiO3is removed. The copper (I) sulfide
is then heated on its own to a higher temperature
while air is bubbled through it. This reduces sulfide
to copper metal and sulfur dioxide is produced.
CuSl +O 2 →2 Cul +SO 2
g g
The liquid copper is left to cool and solidify.
-Recount the steps taken to recycle aluminum.
Preliminary Chemistry- Dot Points on Metals
1. Recyclable materials collected from homes,
businesses etc.

2. Materials transported to a central processing plant.

3. Aluminum is obtained through melting the recyclable

materials and is put into ingots to be reused.

By Peter Huynh