West Lothian Council
Lorna C. Webster
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Unit 2 metal ores
Read
Ores are compounds that contain metals joined to other
elements. Many ores have common names. This means that
they have been given names from when they were first
discovered. The common name does not tell us about the
elements in the ore but the chemical name of an ore will tell us
about the elements that are joined to the metal.
Remember in unit 1 we learned that:
chemical names that end in ide have two elements joined together.
chemical names that end in ite or ate have three elements and one
is always oxygen.
Write a heading and try the work below.
1. What is an ore?
2. How many elements are in compounds that end in ide?
3. How many elements are in compounds that end in ite or ate?
4. Use the display of ores to copy and complete the table on the
next page (use three lines for each ore and for help use the
periodic table on page 8 of the data book).
Lorna C. Webster
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Common
name of ore
chemical name of ore
haematite
iron oxide
cassiterite
tin oxide
malachite
copper carbonate
galena
lead sulphide
cerussite
lead carbonate
copper pyrites
copper iron sulphide
number of
elements
present
names of
elements
present
3
copper,
iron,
sulphur
5. What is the common name of the ore that can be used to
make tin metal?
6. What are the common names of the ores that could be used
to make copper metal?
7. What are the common names of the ores that could be used
to make lead metal?
8. One of the ores could be used to make both iron and copper.
What is the common name of this ore?
9. What element must be removed from cassiterite if we want
to make pure tin?
Lorna C. Webster
3
Making metals from ores
Read
To make metals from ores we need
to use chemistry to separate the
metals from the other elements
that are in the ore. Sometimes we
need to add the ore to other
substances to help separate the
metal from the other elements in
the ore. The aim of the following
experiment is to see if we can
make copper metal from an ore
called copper oxide.
You will need to write up your experiment like a scientific
report.
Write a heading and try work below.
1. What is the aim of the experiment you are about to do?
2. Look at a tub of copper oxide and a piece of copper metal and
write a hypothesis for the experiment (Do you think we can
make copper from copper oxide?).
3. Collect experiment card 2.2 and use it to help you write a
method for the experiment (make a list of all of the
apparatus you will need to collect and draw a diagram of the
experiment).
See your teacher when you are ready to start the experiment
and follow the instructions very carefully.
4. Write a results section of your report by describing what you
saw happening.
Lorna C. Webster
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5. Write a conclusion (read your aim before you do this).
Now try to answer the questions below:
6. Did a chemical reaction happen when you made copper from
copper oxide?
7. Explain your answer to question 1.
8. To help make copper from copper oxide a substance was
mixed into the copper oxide. What was the name of this
substance?
9. When copper oxide is heated with carbon we know now that
we can make copper but we also make carbon dioxide gas in
the reaction. Write a word equation for this reaction
(remember unit 1).
10. What is the name of the chemical that you would use to
check to see whether carbon dioxide gas was made in the
reaction?
11. Look at the word equation you wrote in question 4.
a) what are the names of the two reactants in the equation?
(if you can't remember how to do this see your teacher for
help).
b) what are the names of the two products in the equation?
Lorna C. Webster
5
Making iron
Read
Iron is a metal that has many uses eg railway lines, bridges,
cars, fences, oil rigs.
This means that we need to make huge quantities of iron every
day so a special furnace was designed. This furnace is called a
blast furnace and it is 30-40m high. It is used to make 8000
tonnes of iron every day.
The iron is a metal that is found in the ground as an ore. This
means that it is joined to other elements in a compound. The
ore that we make iron from is called iron oxide. This means
that the iron is joined to oxygen and to make pure iron we need
to separate the ore.
In the last experiment to separate copper from copper oxide
we had to add carbon and heat the ore. The same thing is done
to separate iron from iron ore but the chemistry is a bit more
complicated.
Write a heading and try the work below.
1. Make a list of some things that iron is used to make.
2. Why was a special furnace designed to make iron?
3. What is the name of the special furnace that is used to make
iron?
Lorna C. Webster
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4. What is the name of the ore that is used to make iron?
5. What elements are in this ore?
6. What substance is added to the ore to help separate the iron
(hint: remember the copper experiment)?
Now collect a copy of the blast furnace from the "extras box"
and stick it into your jotter.
Read
To make iron from iron oxide, three chemical reactions happen:



In the first reaction carbon reacts with oxygen to make
carbon dioxide gas.
In the second reaction carbon dioxide gas reacts with more
carbon to make carbon monoxide gas.
Finally carbon monoxide gas reacts with iron oxide to make
iron and carbon dioxide gas.
A chemical called limestone is added to the furnace to help
remove impurities and improve the quality of the iron that is
made
The temperature inside the furnace is very high. This means
that the iron that is made will be a liquid because it has melted
and the liquid iron is taken away in pipes.
7. Write a word equation for
a) the first reaction in the blast furnace.
b) the second reaction in the blast furnace.
c) the final reaction in the blast furnace.
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8. Explain why the iron that is made in the furnace is a liquid
not solid.
9. Why is the chemical called limestone added to the furnace?
10. What is the waste from the blast furnace called?
11. Write the formula for
a) carbon monoxide.
b) carbon dioxide.
Lorna C. Webster
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