This question is about metals - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2015 - Paper 1
Question 4
This question is about metals.
Figure 4 shows the metals used to make pylons and the wires of overhead cables.
Figure 5
Stage 1 mined
ore
Stage 2 separated
metal ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:This question is about metals - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2015 - Paper 1
Step 1
Explain why Stage 2 needs to be done.
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Answer
Stage 2 is necessary because the ore often contains impurities, including other minerals and compounds, which need to be removed to isolate the desired metal compound. This separation ensures that the extraction process is efficient and yields the maximum amount of metal.
Step 2
Give one reason why cast iron is not suitable for the manufacture of pylons.
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Answer
Cast iron is brittle, making it unsuitable for applications such as pylons where flexibility and strength are essential.
Step 3
Describe how cast iron is converted into steel.
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In the furnace, oxygen is introduced to the cast iron. This oxygen reacts with the carbon present in the cast iron, reducing its carbon content. As the carbon is oxidized, the resulting steel produced has the desirable properties suitable for manufacturing.
Step 4
State one property that makes aluminium more suitable than copper for overhead cables.
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Aluminium has a lower density than copper, making it lighter and easier to handle, which is beneficial for overhead cable installations.
Step 5
How can you tell that copper is a transition metal and aluminium is not a transition metal from the position of each metal in the periodic table?
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Copper is found in the central block (d-block) of the periodic table, indicating that it is a transition metal. In contrast, aluminium is in Group 3 (p-block) and does not have properties characteristic of transition metals.
Step 6
Explain why copper can be extracted from solutions of copper salts by adding iron.
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Iron is more reactive than copper, so when added to the solution of copper salts, it displaces copper from the compound, allowing it to be purified and extracted.
