Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 21: Problem 20

Almost all metals in nature are found as ionic compounds in ores instead of being in the pure state. Why? What must be done to a sample of ore to obtain a metal substance that has desirable properties?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Metals are mostly found as ionic compounds in ores due to their reactive nature, forming stable compounds with elements like oxygen, sulfur, and carbon. To obtain a metal substance with desirable properties, a sample of ore undergoes smelting, which involves heating the ore in the presence of a reducing agent to extract the pure metal. Additional steps like refining, alloying, and forming may be used to enhance the properties of the pure metal substance to tailor it for specific applications.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the nature of metals

Most metals are found as ionic compounds in ores because they are reactive and readily form stable compounds with other elements. In nature, they combine with oxygen, sulfur, carbon or other elements to create various minerals. For example, iron exists in the form of iron oxide like hematite (Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4), and copper appears as copper sulfides such as chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and covellite (CuS).
02

Recognize the purpose of extracting metal from ores

The goal when extracting metals from ores is to obtain a pure metal substance with desirable properties for industrial and commercial applications. These properties include high electrical and thermal conductivity, ductility, malleability, and resistance to corrosion.
03

Extracting metals using smelting

One common process to extract metals from ores is smelting. Smelting involves heating the ore in a furnace in the presence of a reducing agent (usually carbon in the form of coke or charcoal) to reduce the metal oxide/sulfide to its elemental form. This reduction process removes oxygen/sulfur from the metal and produces pure metal and waste slag. For example, in the case of iron, the following reactions take place during the smelting process: \[ Fe2O3(s) + 3CO(g) \rightarrow \ 2Fe(l) + 3CO2(g) \]
04

Obtain the desired metal properties

Once the metal is extracted, additional steps like refining, alloying, and forming may be used to enhance the properties of the pure metal substance. These processes are designed to minimize impurities, change the metal structure, and tailor its properties for specific applications. For example, steel, which is an alloy of iron and carbon, is produced by controlling the amount of carbon in the iron and adding other elements like chromium, nickel, and manganese to impart specific properties like strength and corrosion resistance.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Four different octahedral chromium coordination compounds exist that all have the same oxidation state for chromium and have \(\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}\) and \(\mathrm{Cl}^{-}\) as the ligands and counterions. When 1 mole of each of the four compounds is dissolved in water, how many moles of silver chloride will precipitate upon addition of excess \(\mathrm{AgNO}_{3} ?\)

Iron is present in the earth's crust in many types of minerals. The iron oxide minerals are hematite \(\left(\mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3}\right)\) and magnetite \(\left(\mathrm{Fe}_{3} \mathrm{O}_{4}\right) .\) What is the oxidation state of iron in each mineral? The iron ions in magnetite are a mixture of \(\mathrm{Fe}^{2+}\) and Fe \(^{3+}\) ions. What is the ratio of \(\mathrm{Fe}^{3+}\) to \(\mathrm{Fe}^{2+}\) ions in magnetite? The formula for magnetite is often written as $\mathrm{FeO} \cdot \mathrm{Fe}_{2} \mathrm{O}_{3} .$ Does this make sense? Explain.

Draw structures of each of the following. a. cis-dichloroethylenediamineplatinum(II) b. trans-dichlorobis(ethylenediamine)cobalt(II) c. cis-tetraamminechloronitrocobalt(III) ion d. trans-tetraamminechloronitritocobalt(III) ion e. trans-diaquabis(ethylenediamine)copper(II) ion

One of the classic methods for the determination of the manganese content in steel involves converting all the manganese to the deeply colored permanganate ion and then measuring the absorption of light. The steel is first dissolved in nitric acid, producing the manganese(II) ion and nitrogen dioxide gas. This solution is then reacted with an acidic solution containing periodate ion; the products are the permanganate and iodate ions. Write balanced chemical equations for both of these steps.

Write electron configurations for each of the following. a. \(\mathrm{Cr}, \mathrm{Cr}^{2+}, \mathrm{Crr}^{3+}\) b. \(\mathrm{Cu}, \mathrm{Cu}^{+}, \mathrm{Cu}^{2+}\) c. \(\mathrm{V}, \mathrm{V}^{2+}, \mathrm{V}^{3+}\)
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Nuclear Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemical Reactions

Read Explanation

Inorganic Chemistry

Read Explanation

The Earths Atmosphere

Read Explanation

Organic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemical Analysis

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free