Where copper ore has been mined there are areas of land that contain very low percentages of copper compounds - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2014 - Paper 1
Question 4
Where copper ore has been mined there are areas of land that contain very low percentages of copper compounds.
One way to extract the copper is to grow plants on th... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Where copper ore has been mined there are areas of land that contain very low percentages of copper compounds - AQA - GCSE Chemistry - Question 4 - 2014 - Paper 1
Step 1
Complete the sentence.
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Answer
Using plants to extract metals is called phytomining.
Step 2
Suggest two reasons why copper from these areas of land is not extracted by smelting.
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Answer
The land contains very little copper, making it uneconomical to extract it through traditional smelting methods.
Smelting is inefficient as it requires a large amount of energy and can produce significant waste.
Step 3
Complete and balance the chemical equation for the reaction of copper oxide with carbon.
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Answer
The balanced equation is:
2CuO+C→2Cu+CO2
Step 4
Give two reasons why scrap iron is used to displace copper.
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Iron is more reactive than copper, which allows it to displace copper from the solution.
Using iron is cheaper and uses less energy than electrolysis.
Step 5
Describe what happens to the copper ions during electrolysis.
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During electrolysis, copper ions (Cu2+) move towards the negative electrode (cathode) where they gain electrons, reducing to copper metal. This results in the deposition of copper on the cathode.
