GCSE Chemistry – Unit 1 Factsheets
1.2 How do rocks provide building metals & how are metals used?
a) Ores
Ores contain enough metal to make it economical to extract the metal and this
changes over time, eg aluminium is obtained from bauxite as the cost of getting hold
of the bauxite and using it to produce pure aluminium is low enough to make a profit.
If costs changed, we might be forced to obtain aluminium by another means or use
less aluminium. Chemistry and finance are often connected.
b) How the reactivity series relates to obtaining pure metals
Unreactive metals such as gold are found in the earth as the metal itself.
Most metals are found as compounds that require chemical reactions to extract the
metal. Metals that are less reactive than carbon can be extracted from their oxides
by reduction with carbon (via carbon monoxide), eg Iron in the Blast Furnace
Iron oxide + Carbon  Iron + Carbon dioxide; Fe2O3(l) + 3CO(g)  2Fe(l) + 3CO2(g)
monoxide
(Metals which are more reactive than carbon are extracted using electrolysis)
c) Iron & Steel
Iron from the Blast Furnace contains about 96% iron. The impurities make it brittle
and so it has limited uses. Removing
Defn: Alloy – mixture of a metal with
all of the impurities would produce
other metals or with a substance
pure iron. Pure iron has a regular
such as carbon in order to change the
arrangement of atoms, with layers
properties of the metal.
that can slide over each other, and so
is soft and easily shaped, but too soft for many uses.
Most iron is converted into steels. Steels are alloys since they are mixtures of iron
with carbon and other metals. The different sized atoms added distort the layers in
the structure of the pure metal, making it more difficult for them to slide over each
other, and so alloys are harder. Alloys can be designed to have properties for
specific uses. Low carbon steels are
Properties & uses of steels:
easily shaped, high carbon steels
Low carbon – easily shaped, ie car bodies
are hard, and stainless steels are
High carbon – hard, ie construction work
resistant to corrosion.
Stainless – resists corrosion, ie cutlery
d) Other alloys
Many metals in everyday use are alloys.
Pure copper, gold, and aluminium are too
soft for many uses and so are mixed with
small amounts of similar metals to make
them harder for their everyday use.
Brass & bronze are alloys of copper.
White gold is an alloy of gold.
Alloys containing aluminium are used
in planes.
e) Smart alloys
Smart alloys (also called shape memory alloys) can return to their original shape
after being deformed. They are used in frames for glasses and teeth braces.
f) Transition metals
The elements in the central block of the
periodic table are known as transition metals.
Like other metals they are good conductors of
heat and electricity and can be bent or
hammered into shape. They are useful as
structural materials and for making things
that must allow heat or electricity to pass through them easily.
g) Copper
Copper has properties that make it useful for electrical wiring and plumbing. Copper
can be extracted by electrolysis of solutions containing copper compounds.
Ores rich in copper are in short supply. Therefore, new ways of extracting copper
from low-grade ores are being researched to limit the environmental impact of
traditional mining.
h) Aluminium & Titanium
Aluminium and titanium are useful as
their densities are low and they
resist corrosion. They cannot be
extracted from their oxides by
reduction with carbon as they are
more reactive than carbon. Current
methods of extraction are
expensive because, there are many
stages in the processes and much
energy is needed.
i) Recycling
Recycling metals is
important because
extracting them uses
limited resources and
is expensive in terms
of energy and
effects on the
environment.
Extraction & uses of Aluminium & Titanium

Aluminium is extracted from bauxite ore
using electrolysis.

Aluminium is used to make planes; pots &
pans; aluminium cans; cooking foil; etc

Titanium is extracted from rutile ore by
displacement reactions involving a reactive
metal such as sodium or magnesium.

Titanium is used for space vehicles; hip
joints; sports equipment; planes; etc
Why recycle aluminium?
 Aluminium ores could run out
 Extraction of aluminium uses lots of electricity and so is
very costly
 Production of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide during
the process
 Loss of landscape due to mining, processing &
transporting bauxite ore. Loss of landscape for
electrolysis plant
 Noise pollution
 Pollution involved in energy generation
 Avoids need to dump old aluminium if it wasn’t recycled.
Typical AQA style Examination Questions
1. The table below gives information about some metals
Name of the metal
Cost of one tonne of metal (£)
Aluminium
Platinum
Iron
Gold
883
16 720 000
216
8 236 800
% of metal in earths
crust
8.2
0.0000001
4.1
0.0000001
a) Use the information in the table to suggest why gold and platinum are very
expensive metals
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b) Aluminium and iron are made by reduction of their ores
Name the element that is removed from their ores when they are reduced ……………….
Suggest a metal that would reduce aluminium ore ………………………………………………………………
c) Aluminium is made by the reduction of molten aluminium ore, using a very large
amount of electricity.
How is iron ore reduced in a blast furnace to make iron?
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Suggest why aluminium is more expensive than iron
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2. Discuss whether the re-cycling of fizzy drink cans is worthwhile. Give both sides
of the argument
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3. Discuss the differences that exist between group 1 metals and the transition
metals. Make reference to specific elements in your argument
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4. With the aid of a diagram, explain the extraction of copper from copper chloride
using the method of electrolysis
5. Why can’t aluminium be extracted from its ore in the same way that iron is
extracted from iron oxide?
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6. Draw a labelled diagram to represent the bonding in a metal such as Iron
deline
w
1.
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4.
7. Why has the United Kingdom seen a
decline in the number of iron and steel
works over recent years?
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