Metal and Extraction of Metals

Chemical Properties of Metals

 Reaction with Acid:

Metals react with acids to make salt and hydrogen gas while non – metals do not reacts with acid.
 Nature of oxides:
The oxides of metals are basic in nature while the oxides of non – metals are acidic in nature.
 Nature of ion:
The metals lose electrons to make positive ion while non – metals gains electrons to make negative ion.
 Nature of oxidizing and reducing agent:
The metals behave as reducing agents while non – metal behave as oxidizing agents.
 Hydrides:
Only the hydrides of reactive metals exist and they are ionic in nature while the hydrides of
non – metals are covalent in nature.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Uses of Metals

 Aluminium is used to make aircraft body as it has low density and high tensile strength.
 Aluminium is used to make heavy electrical cables as it is a good conductor of electricity and has
low density.
 Aluminium is used to make food container as it is unreactive and good reflector of light.
 Aluminium is used to make navigational instruments as it is non – magnetic in nature.
 Aluminium is used to make windows and door structures as it does not corrode easily and has low
density.
 Copper is used to make electrical wires as it is good conductor of electricity and malleable.
 Copper is used to make water pipes as it is easier to work and bend the copper, non – toxic and do
not react with water.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

1|Page
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture of one or few other elements. For example:
 Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc
 Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin
 Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, nickel, chromium and carbon.
Pure metals have many useful properties but their uses are relatively less. This is because many pure
metals are soft, malleable and corrode easily. Therefore, most of the metals are used in the form of alloys.
Alloys often have properties that can be very different from the metals they contain, for example, they can
have more strength, hardness or resistance to corrosion or extreme temperatures.
These enhanced properties can make alloys more useful than pure metals.

The alloys are more strong and hard than pure metals. This is because the atoms of added metal have
different size or atomic radius. This breaks up the regular arrangement of atoms in the pure metals.
Thus the atoms of added metal resist the sliding of layers of pure metal. This makes alloys strong and hard.
The alloys are made to improve the appearance of metals.

Alloys of iron with tungsten are extremely hard and resistant to high temperatures.
Alloys of iron mixed with chromium or nickel are resistant to corrosion.
Aluminium is mixed with copper, manganese and silicon for aircraft body production as the alloy is
stronger but still has a low density.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Reactivity Series

The metals undergo the similar chemical reactions. However, the reactivity of metals differs from each
other. The reactivity of metal mainly depends on the tendency to lose electron. A metal which requires less
energy to release the electrons is more reactive and vice versa.
Reactivity series is the arrangement of metals from most reactive to the least reactive.

2|Page
Different chemical reactions and observation from these reactions helps to determine the position of metal
in the reactivity series. Some of the reactions discussed below.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

1. Reaction of Metal with Water

Highly reactive metals such as potassium, sodium

and calcium react with cold water to produce the
metal hydroxide and hydrogen gas. For example;

2Na(s) + 2H2O(l) → 2NaOH(aq) + H2(g)

Ca(s) + 2H2O(l) → Ca(OH)2(aq) + H2(g)

Magnesium reacts very slowly with cold water to make magnesium hydroxide and hydrogen. It takes few
days to collect one test tube of hydrogen gas.

Mg(s) + 2H2O(l) → Mg(OH)2(aq) + H2(g)

However, hot magnesium readily reacts with steam to make magnesium oxide and hydrogen.

Mg(s) + H2O(g) → MgO(s) + H2(g)

Thus moderately reactive metals such as magnesium, zinc and iron react slowly with water. They will react
more rapidly with steam to make respective the metal oxide and hydrogen gas. For example;

Zn(s) + H2O(g) → ZnO(s) + H2(g)

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The reactivity of metals can be compared by collecting the hydrogen gas. The metal which gives out
hydrogen gas more rapidly is more reactive and vice versa.
3|Page
This reaction is exothermic in nature. Heat released in the reaction decreases as the reactivity of metal
decreases. Therefore the temperature change can be measured to compare the reactivity of metals which
reacts with cold water. More energy is released with a reactive metal and vice versa.
The least reactive metals such as copper, silver and gold do not react with water or steam.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Reaction of Metal with Air (oxygen)

The highly reactive metal such as sodium, potassium and calcium reacts with air/oxygen at room
temperature to make respective metal oxide. However, these metals violently/explosively react with
air/oxygen and reaction is strongly exothermic. For example; sodium burns with golden – yellow flame on
heating in the air to make white solid.

4Na(s) + O2(g) → 2Na2O(s)

Many other metals react with air/oxygen on heating to make reactive metal oxide. For example;
magnesium burns with intense white flame on heating in air to make white solid.

2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)

Copper reacts with oxygen on heating to make black solid which is copper (II) oxide.

2Cu(s) + O2(g) → 2CuO(s)

The energy or temperature required for reaction of metal with oxygen increases as the reactivity of metal
decreases. Thus the reaction becomes less vigorous with decreasing reactivity of metal.
The reaction of metal with oxygen is exothermic in nature. Heat released in the reaction decreases as the
reactivity of metal decreases. Therefore the temperature change can be measured to compare the reactivity
of metals which reacts with oxygen. More energy is released with a reactive metal and vice versa.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Reaction of Metal with Acid

Most of the metals react with acid such as hydrochloric acid to make salt and hydrogen gas.
The reactivity of metals can be compared by collecting same volume of hydrogen gas. It takes less time to
collect hydrogen gas for a reactive metal and vice versa. For example;
2Li(s) + 2HCl(aq) → 2LiCl(aq) + H2(g)
Mg(s) + 2HCl(aq) → MgCl2(aq) + H2(g)
Fe(s) + 2HCl(aq) → FeCl2(aq) + H2(g)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4|Page
The reaction of the metal with acid becomes less vigorous as the reactivity of metal decreases.
For example; four different metals react with acid with all other conditions to be same.

Compare the effervescence which is caused by bubbles of hydrogen gas to determine the reactivity of these

four metals. The order of reactivity is as follows, starting from the most reactive metal;

4>3>1>2

The reaction of metal with acids is exothermic in nature. Heat released in the reaction decreases as the
reactivity of metal decreases. Therefore the temperature change can be measured to compare the reactivity
of metals which reacts with acid. More energy is released with a reactive metal and vice versa.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5|Page
4. Displacement Reaction
A more reactive metal has a greater tendency to form a metal ion by losing electrons than a less reactive
metal does. Therefore, a more reactive metal can displace the less reactive metal from a solution of its salt
or metal oxide. The displacement reaction for solution takes place at room temperature but heat must be
provided to displace less reactive metal from its solid metal oxide.
The displacement reactions are redox in nature. The more reactive metal atom is oxidized to form positive
ion and less reactive metal ion is reduced to metal atom by gaining the electrons.
For example; if a piece of zinc metal is placed in an aqueous solution of copper (II) sulfate, then zinc
displace the copper from its salt solution.

Zn(s) + CuSO4(aq) → ZnSO4(aq) + Cu(s)

The above reaction has the following observation.

 Blue colour of solution fades to colourless.
 Pink or reddish – brown deposit are seen around the zinc piece.
 Zinc dissolve or size of zinc piece decreases.
The ionic equation for the reaction is:

Zn(s) + Cu+2(aq) → Zn+2(aq) + Cu(s)

blue colourless pink or reddish – brown

If a piece of iron metal is placed in an aqueous solution of silver nitrate, then iron displaces the silver from
its salt solution. The ionic equation for the reaction is:

Fe(s) + Ag+(aq) → Fe+2(aq) + Ag(s)

colourless green silvery solid

Note: A deposit will be seen in the container if reaction takes place and no deposits will be seen if there
is no reaction.

If iron (III) oxide is mixed with aluminium and the mixture is heated using a magnesium fuse then a very
violent reaction occurs. The aluminium, being the more reactive metal, takes the oxygen from the less
reactive iron. It is a very exothermic reaction. When the reaction is over, a solid lump of iron is left along
with a lot of white aluminium oxide powder.

Fe2O3(s) + 2Al(s) → Al2O3(s) + 2Fe(s)

Ionic equation for reaction is:

2Fe3+(s) + 2Al(s) → 2Al3+(s) + 2Fe(s)

Displacement reaction of metals is also exothermic in nature. Heat released in the displacement reaction
decreases as the reactivity of metal decreases. Therefore the temperature change can be measured to
compare the reactivity of metals in displacement reactions. More energy is released with a reactive metal
and vice versa.

6|Page
Summary

Reactivity Reaction with Reaction with Reaction with Displacement

series water Air/oxygen acid Reaction
K Produces H2 with Burns very
Na decreasing vigor brightly and
Ca with cold water vigorously
Mg Reacts to produce
Al Reacts with steam Burns to form H2 with A metal higher in
with decreasing oxide with decreasing vigor the series can
Zn vigor decreasing vigor displace a metal
Fe lower in the
Pb series from its
Reacts slowly to salt solution or
H solid metal oxide
form oxide
Cu Do not react with
Hg water or steam
Do not react
Ag Do not react
Au
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Effect of Heat on Metal Carbonate

The thermal stability of metal carbonate is related to the position of metal in the reactivity series.
The metal carbonates of more reactive metals are difficult to decompose. Carbonates of highly reactive
metals such as potassium and sodium (group I metals) do not easily undergo any decomposition reaction.
The carbonates of these metals are thermally stable at Bunsen burner flame temperature.
All other metal carbonates undergo thermal decomposition to give the metal oxide and carbon dioxide gas.
The general equation is:

heat
metal carbonate metal oxide + carbon dioxide

The temperature or energy require for decomposition increases as the reactivity of metal increases.

temperature ZnCO3 → ZnO + CO2 ease of

PbCO3 → PbO + CO2

decreases CuCO3 → CuO + CO2 decomposition

7|Page
If same volume of carbon dioxide is collected from the decomposition of different metal carbonates then it
takes longer time for a more reactive metal and vice versa.

OR

The carbonates of unreactive metals such as gold, silver and platinum are too unstable to exist.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. Reduction of Metal Oxide with Carbon and Hydrogen

The carbon and hydrogen are reducing agents and metal oxide behaves as oxidizing agents. The metals
which are more reactive do not lose their oxygen easily. Thus they are difficult to reduce to metal.
The oxides of group I, group II elements, boron and aluminium do not reduced with carbon.
Other metal oxides reduced with carbon to make respective metal and carbon dioxide. The energy or
temperature required for reduction increases as the reactivity of metal increases. For example;

temperature 2ZnO + C → 2Zn + CO2 ease of

2PbO + C → 2Pb + CO2

decreases 2CuO + C → 2Cu + CO2 reduction

The oxides of group I, group II elements, boron, aluminium and zinc do not reduced with hydrogen.
Other metal oxides reduced with hydrogen to make respective metal and water.

8|Page
The energy or temperature required for reduction increases as the reactivity of metal increases.
For example;

temperature Fe2O3 + 3H2 → 2Fe + 3H2O ease of

PbO + H2 → Pb + H2O

decreases CuO + H2 → Cu + H2O reduction

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Summary

Reactivity Effect of heat on Reduction of metal

Method of extraction
series metal carbonate oxide with C/H2
K Do not reduced
Do not decomposed
Na
Decomposed to form Electrolysis of molten
Ca
respective metal compound
Mg Zn does not reduced
oxide and carbon
Al dioxide with with H2 also
Zn increasing ease
Reduced to metal with
Fe
increasing ease
Pb Reduction with
H carbon
Cu
Hg
Carbonates are too
Ag
unstable to exist
Au
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Rusting (Corrosion)

The process of eating away the surface of a metal by the action of atmospheric gases is called corrosion.
OR
Corrosion is the general name given to the process which takes place when metals and alloys are
chemically attacked by oxygen, water or any other substances found in their immediate environment.
Generally, the higher the metal is in the reactivity series, the more rapidly it will corrode.

9|Page
The word rusting is used for the corrosion of iron. The rust is a reddish – brown mass appeared on the
surface of iron objects. The rust is a hydrated iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3.xH2O). The rusting of iron is a
serious problem and wastes enormous amounts of money each year.

Conditions of Rusting
There are two conditions of rusting. These are:

 Oxygen or Air
 Water or Moisture

The process of rusting becomes relatively faster in the presence of electrolyte such as sodium chloride.
Therefore, the process of rusting is relatively faster near coastal area and polluted areas.

Rust Prevention
Rust is soft, brittle and flaky. When rusting starts over the surface of iron object then the rust flakes away
from the surface of iron. Thus the process of rusting continues to the lower layers of iron. Eventually, all of
the metal will rust and flakes away. There are three general methods of rust prevention.
 Coating of a Protective Layer
The surface of iron object is coated with paint, oil and grease, plastic or electroplating of metal.
The layer of coated substance keeps the air and water away from the iron. Thus the rusting is
prevented on iron object.
Galvanising is the coating of a layer of zinc over the surface of iron.
Tinning is the coating of a layer of tin metal over the surface of iron.
 Sacrificial Protection
In this method, a metal which is more reactive than iron is used to prevent the process of rusting on
iron objects. The pieces of more reactive metal attached on the surface of iron object at suitable
intervals. The more reactive metal reacts first and thus prevents the rusting of iron. Zinc blocks are
used to prevent the rusting of ship’s hull and roof sheets. Magnesium blocks are used to prevent rusting
on underground oil and gas pipelines.
 Alloy Formation
Alloys such as stainless steel are made to prevent the rusting of iron objects.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

10 | P a g e
Extraction of Metals

The majority of metals are too reactive to exist on their own in the Earth’s crust and they occur naturally
in rocks as compounds in ores. Most of the ores mainly consist of metal oxides.
Ores are those minerals from which metal are extracted conveniently and profitably. These ores contain
good percentage of metal mixed with large amount of earth and rock.
Minerals are the natural materials in which the metals and their compounds are found in earth.

The extraction of metals from the ore usually required the following steps.

 Concentrating the Ore

The concentration of the metal content in the ore can be increased by removing the undesirable earth and
rock form the ore. There are different methods to do this and it depends on the nature of ore.

 Extraction of Metal from Ore

The metals are found in the ore as metal ion. Therefore, electrons must be provided to convert the metal
ion into the metal atom. The process of changing the metal ions in a compound to the neutral metal is
called reduction.

There are two main methods of extracting metals from their ore. They are;
(i) Reduction of the ore with reducing agent (carbon)
(ii) Reduction of the molten ore by electrolysis
Reduction with carbon (reducing agent) is cheaper than the electrolysis. The electrolysis is a stronger
reduction process than reduction with carbon. Electrolysis is expensive due to high cost of electricity.
Metals high in the reactivity series have proved very difficult to isolate. The method used to extract the
metal from its ore depends on the position of the metal in the reactivity series.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Extraction of Iron

The iron is extracted from its oxide ore called haematite (Fe2O3). Sand or silica (SiO2) is the major
impurity in the ore. Iron is extracted from haematite in a blast furnace.

Raw Material:
The raw material required for the extraction of iron in blast furnace is:
 Iron ore, Fe2O3
 Carbon, C
 Limestone, CaCO3
 Hot air
11 | P a g e
A mixture of crushed iron ore, carbon and limestone is dropped into the furnace from the top.
A blast of hot air is blown into the furnace near the bottom. Different chemical reactions take place in the
blast furnace. Some important reactions discussed below.

Production of Carbon Dioxide

The carbon in the mixture burns in the blast of hot air (1500 oC) at the lower part of furnace to produce
carbon dioxide. The oxidation of carbon is exothermic reaction and temperature at the bottom of furnace
increases further.

C + O2 → CO2 ∆H = − ve

Production of Carbon Monoxide

The carbon dioxide rises up the furnace. It reacts with more carbon to make carbon monoxide.
The reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide is endothermic reaction and temperature decreases in
the middle of furnace.

C + CO2 → 2CO ∆H = + ve

Reduction of Iron Ore

The carbon monoxide is a reducing agent. It reduces the iron ore to iron at the upper part of furnace.

3CO + Fe2O3 → 2Fe + 3CO2

Some of the unreacted iron ore is also reduced with carbon at the bottom of furnace.

3C + 2Fe2O3 → 4Fe + 3CO2

The iron formed is in molten state and is collected at the bottom of furnace.

12 | P a g e
Function of Limestone
Limestone or calcium carbonate decomposed by heat to make calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.

CaCO3 → CaO + CO2

Calcium oxide is basic in nature. It reacts with the acidic impurities like silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3)
to remove them in the form of molten slag.

CaO + SiO2 → CaSiO3

CaO + Al2O3 → Ca(AlO2)2

Slag floats over the surface of molten iron as it is less dense than molten iron.
The molten iron and slag are tapped off separately at the bottom of furnace.
Slag is used in the manufacturing of cement, light building material and for road surfacing.
The iron obtained from the blast furnace is called pig iron or cast iron. It is 95 – 96 % pure iron.
The major impurity in the pig iron is carbon.
The waste gases from the top of furnace contains carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, oxides of
nitrogen, sulfur dioxide etc. The waste gases must be treated before releasing into atmosphere to avoid
environmental pollution.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Flow Chart for Process

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

13 | P a g e
Steel

The ‘pig iron’ obtained from the blast furnace contains 4 – 5 % impurities such as carbon, sulfur, silicon
and phosphorus. These impurities make the pig iron hard and brittle. In order to improve the quality of the
metal, more than 90 % of pig iron is converted into steel.
Steel is an alloy of iron with carbon and other metals.
There are different methods to convert pig iron into steel. The basic rule is to decrease the amount of
impurities and then add the calculated amount of other metals to make the steel for any method.
Basic Oxygen Process is one of method to convert pig iron into steel. In this method, relatively pure
oxygen is passed through molten pig iron. Oxygen oxidized the impurities to respective oxides.
Carbon is oxidised to carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, while sulfur is oxidised to sulfur dioxide.
These escape as gases.

C + O2 → CO2 or CO
S + O2 → SO2

Silicon and phosphorus are oxidised to silicon dioxide and phosphorus (V) oxide, which are solid oxides.

Si + O2 → SiO2
4P + 3O2 → P4O6

Some calcium oxide (lime) is added to remove these solid oxides as slag. The slag may be skimmed or
poured off the surface.

CaO + SiO2 → CaSiO3

6CaO + P4O6 → 2Ca3(PO3)2

Finally, the calculated amount of other metals added to make the steel of desired properties.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Flow Chart for Process

166

14 | P a g e
The properties of steel mainly depend on;
 Amount of carbon
Steel becomes more hard and brittle with the greater amount of carbon. Steel can easily be shaped
and bent with the lesser amount of carbon.
 Nature and amount of other metals added to iron
Special properties of steel and its use depend on the nature and amount of metal to be added into it.

There are many different types of steel. But it is mainly divided into two categories.

Carbon steel: It is general purpose steel which mainly contains iron and carbon.
Mild Steel (0.25 % carbon) is strong and malleable. It is used for making car bodies and machinery.
Hard Steel (0.45 – 1.5 % carbon) is strong and brittle. It is used to make knives, hammers, saw, and other
cutting and boring tools.

Alloy Steel: It consist of iron, carbon and one or more other metals which are added to change the
properties of steel. For example;
Manganese is added to increase the strength and hardness of steel. It is used to make springs and drills.

Nickel and chromium are added to increase resistance to corrosion and durability of steel.
It is called stainless steel. It is used to make cutlery, cooking utensils and surgical instruments. It is also
used to make chemical plants.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Extraction of Aluminium: Discussed in electrolysis

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Lack of Reactivity of Aluminium

The aluminium is higher in reactivity series than iron. However, it does not corrode easily than compared
to iron. When a fresh piece of aluminium is exposed to atmosphere then aluminium atoms over its surface
reacts with oxygen to make a thin layer of aluminium oxide.
This layer of oxide is unreactive, non – porous and is very tough (strong). This protective layer of
aluminium oxide prevents the further reaction and causes the lack of reactivity of aluminium.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

15 | P a g e
Recycling of Metals

When metal objects are finished with or worn out then the metal can be reclaimed and used again.
This is called recycling of metal.

Metals have finite resources in earth crust. The continuous digging of metal ores and their increasing
demand will eventually finish the natural resources. The life of natural reserve can be increased by;

 Recycling of metals; old metal objects can be crushed and melted for reuse.
 Substitute the metals with other material. For example; optical fiber replacing the metal wires.
 Finding new deposits for metal ores.

Recycling is important because:

It saves money. The high cost of extraction of aluminium and refining of copper by electrolysis makes
recycling economical and worthwhile.

It saves energy and fuels. Large amount of electricity is used in extracting aluminium and large amount of
carbon is used to extract iron.

It saves the environment because less mining and drilling will be required for extraction of ore.
Thus reduces air pollution and increased the availability of land for cultivation of crops, livestock and for
the construction of homes, factories etc

It saves the reserves of metals ore for the future.

It solves the problem of waste disposal. The life of landfill sites will be increased and it also reduces the
litter caused by waste metal objects.

The extraction of metals from ores produced a large amount of waste, approximately 90 % of ore mass,
which is difficult to dispose off.

The disadvantage of recycling is the cost of collection and sorting of metal and then transportation to the
recycling plant.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

16 | P a g e