One way to extract metals from land contaminated with metal compounds is phytoextraction. When plants grow they absorb metal ions through their roots. The plants are harvested, dried and burned forming an ash. The ash contains metal compounds. Plants were grown in a piece of ground contaminated with nickel compounds. (i) 1 kg of the ash from these plants contained 142.0 g of nickel compounds. Calculate the percentage by mass of nickel compounds in the ash. (ii) Nickel is extracted from nickel compounds. State an advantage of extracting nickel by phytoextraction rather than from its ore.

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One way to extract metals from land contaminated with metal compounds is phytoextraction - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 1

Question 5

One way to extract metals from land contaminated with metal compounds is phytoextraction. When plants grow they absorb metal ions through their roots. The plants are... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:One way to extract metals from land contaminated with metal compounds is phytoextraction - Edexcel - GCSE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 1

Step 1

Calculate the percentage by mass of nickel compounds in the ash.

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Answer

To find the percentage by mass of nickel compounds in the ash, we can use the formula:

$\text{Percentage by mass} = \left( \frac{\text{mass of nickel compounds}}{\text{total mass of ash}} \right) \times 100$

Substituting the known values:

$\text{Percentage by mass} = \left( \frac{142.0\,g}{1000\,g} \right) \times 100$

Calculating this:

$\text{Percentage by mass} = 14.2\%$

Thus, the percentage by mass of nickel compounds in the ash is 14.2%.

Step 2

State an advantage of extracting nickel by phytoextraction rather than from its ore.

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Answer

One advantage of extracting nickel by phytoextraction is that it is more environmentally friendly. It helps to decontaminate the soil while extracting the metal, reducing the ecological impact often associated with traditional mining methods. Additionally, phytoextraction can occur in situ, requiring less energy and generating less waste.

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