Metals - An Introduction (KS 3)

Shared metal characteristics;

• malleable

• insulators

• Shiny when first cut

• brittle

Unlike non-metals, most metals tend to —

• conduct electricity and heat well.
• be gases at room temperature.
• break easily when hammered.
• have less luster and shine.

The relative cost of a metal is determined by;

• How expensive the items are that it is made into

• Its abundance (how much there is of it close to the surface of the Earth)

• How easily it can be recycled

• How easily it can be extracted and processed

Ferrous metals;

• are prone to rusting

• Are relatively expensive

• Are attracted to a magnet

• Are made by adding together metals

• Are made from iron and carbon

Non-ferrous metals;

• are prone to rusting

• Are relatively expensive

• Oxidise in air.

• Are made by adding together metals

• Make up a huge percentage of the elements.

Alloys;

• Occur naturally

• Can be engineered to have new and more useful properties

• Are made by combining 2 or more metals together

• Are relatively expensive to produce

Metals found on the Periodic Table;

• Brass

• Tin

• Solder

• Copper

• Iron

The order in which steel and copper are processed;

• Crushing of ore, smelting, use of blast furnace, smelting

• Mining, use of blast furnace, crushing of ore, smelting

• Mining, smelting, crushing of ore, use of blast furnace

• Mining, crushing of ore, use of blast furnace, smelting

Order of processing aluminium

• Mining, electrolysis, crushing of ore, purifying bauxite into alumina,

• Electrolysis, mining, crushing of ore, purifying bauxite into alumina.

• Mining, crushing of ore, purifying bauxite into alumina, electrolysis.

• Mining, purifying bauxite into alumina, crushing of ore, electrolysis.

Metals can be argued as 'environmentally friendly' because;

• of the amount of energy needed to process, transport and manufacture them

• Their ability to be recycled

• Their expected life-expectancy

• the way in which they are extracted from the Earth's crust

• the length of time they remain in the environment after disposal