Most metals are found combined with other elements in rocks and must be extracted. The extraction method depends on the metal's reactivity - the most unreactive like gold are found as elements, while others like iron are found as compounds. Compounds with less reactive metals like zinc can be extracted through reduction with carbon, using carbon's higher reactivity to displace the metal. Metals more reactive than carbon require electrolysis to separate the metal from oxygen.
Most metals are found combined with other elements in rocks and must be extracted. The extraction method depends on the metal's reactivity - the most unreactive like gold are found as elements, while others like iron are found as compounds. Compounds with less reactive metals like zinc can be extracted through reduction with carbon, using carbon's higher reactivity to displace the metal. Metals more reactive than carbon require electrolysis to separate the metal from oxygen.
Most metals are found combined with other elements in rocks and must be extracted. The extraction method depends on the metal's reactivity - the most unreactive like gold are found as elements, while others like iron are found as compounds. Compounds with less reactive metals like zinc can be extracted through reduction with carbon, using carbon's higher reactivity to displace the metal. Metals more reactive than carbon require electrolysis to separate the metal from oxygen.
Most metals are found combined with other elements in rocks and must be extracted. The extraction method depends on the metal's reactivity - the most unreactive like gold are found as elements, while others like iron are found as compounds. Compounds with less reactive metals like zinc can be extracted through reduction with carbon, using carbon's higher reactivity to displace the metal. Metals more reactive than carbon require electrolysis to separate the metal from oxygen.
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Extracting metals: KS3
Key points Metals mostly occur as compounds in rocks and minerals and must be extracted before they can be used. The method used to extract the pure metal depends on its position in the reactivity series.
Metals in the Earth
Metals are very important materials in our everyday lives. There is a high demand for metals to be used in many kinds of industries.
Metals are found in rocks in the Earth’s crust which must be
processed to get the pure metal. This is called extraction and can involve several different steps, including chemical reactions. Unreactive metals
The most unreactive metals, silver and gold, are found
as elements in the rocks. They are not chemically bonded to other elements in compounds.
For example, gold (element symbol Au) is an unreactive metal
and is found as an element in rocks.
Metals in compounds Most of the metals found in rocks are combined with other elements in compounds. These compounds are called minerals.
For example, iron (element symbol Fe) is mostly found as the
minerals magnetite Fe₃O₄ and hematite Fe₂O₃. Both are compounds of iron chemically bonded to oxygen. Copper is more reactive than gold and so is found in rocks as a compound. This image of a green rock contains malachite, a compound of copper, carbon and oxygen.
Methods of extracting metals
Different methods are used to extract a metal depending on its position in the reactivity series.
The diagram shows a simple reactivity series, including carbon
and hydrogen. Carbon and hydrogen are often included in a reactivity series as they allow us to predict particular chemical reactions. Metals with very low reactivity can be found as elements in rocks, such as silver and gold.
The metal is visible running through the rock. They do not need to be treated using a chemical reaction for the pure metal to be obtained.
To extract the metal from the rock, the rock is crushed and the metal is then melted out
Zinc, iron and copper are all found as compounds within rocks. They are generally found bonded to oxygen as compounds called metal oxides.
These metals are extracted using carbon in a displacement
reaction. This is because carbon is cheap and readily available. The reactants are the metal oxide compound and carbon. The products are the pure metal and either carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide.
For example:
metal oxide + carbon → metal + carbon oxide
Carbon is more reactive than zinc, iron and copper. This means the carbon takes the oxygen away and displaces the metal. This leaves the metal as a pure element.
The carbon makes an oxide - either carbon monoxide (CO) or
carbon dioxide (CO₂).
This is a specific type of displacement reaction. The more
reactive element (carbon) is displacing the less reactive element (in this case a metal) from its compound.
A chemical reaction where oxygen is removed from a compound
is called a reduction. This method is called reduction with carbon.
These reactions can be described using either word or
symbolchemical equations.
For example, the word equation for the reduction of zinc oxide with carbon is:
zinc oxide + carbon → zinc + carbon monoxide
The symbol equation for the reduction of zinc oxide with carbon is: ZnO + C → Zn + CO
When metals are above carbon in the reactivity series, they
cannot be extracted using reduction with carbon. Carbon is not reactive enough to take the oxygen away from the metal.
These metals are extracted using a process called electrolysis. In
electrolysis, an electric current is passed through the compound to split up the metal and the oxygen.
For example, an electric current can be passed through
aluminium oxide (the compound) to split up the metal (aluminium) and the oxygen.
Why can carbon not be used to extract potassium?
Working scientifically Making predictions
Not all metals in the periodic table are shown in a simple reactivity
series. We can use information about their place in an expanded reactivity series to predict the method of extraction.
For example, platinum is a less reactive metal than gold. Gold is
found as an element, so we can predict that platinum will also be found as an element and won’t need a chemical reaction to extract it.
Use the simple reactivity series to make predictions for the
following questions. 1. Tin is more reactive than copper, but less reactive than iron. Both copper and iron are found as compounds in rocks and are extracted using reduction with carbon.
What extraction method can we predict would be used for
tin?
2. Strontium is more reactive than calcium but less reactive
than potassium. Both calcium and potassium are extracted using electrolysis.
What extraction method would be used for strontium?
3. Lead is more reactive than copper, but less reactive than
iron.
What extraction method would be predicted for lead?
