SCORPION

Metals and Their Ores

Because many metals are quite reactive, they are often not simply found in lumps under the ground- instead they react with other elements, in particular oxygen, to form ores. Extracting the metal itself from these ores is big business, as modern industry requires metals for many things; construction, car manufacture and electronics to name a few.

The reactivity series is a list of metals ordered by their reactivity and is shown below:

Potassium

Sodium

Calcium

Magnesium

Aluminium

Zinc

Iron

Tin

Lead

Copper

Silver

Gold

Not all metals are included, but this list tells you which metals are most likely to form ores- those at the top of the list are most reactive and those at the bottom least. In fact every metal in the list tends to form an ore, apart from gold and silver, which are found in their native states. Many of these metal ores are very important to us, and here is some more information on them.

Aluminium- Bauxite is the most common ore of aluminium, and it is from Bauxite that aluminium is commercially extracted, using the electrolysis process. Aluminium is a lightweight metal, making it very useful where weight is important, such as aircraft manufacture and overhead power cables.

Titanium- Rutile and ilmenite are the main ores of titanium, but separating titanium from its ore is very difficult and costly. Expensive chemicals such as sodium, chlorine and argon are needed to complete the process, which means that titanium is pretty expensive. However it also very useful as it is incredibly strong and lightweight, and it is sued for a great range of things- hip replacements to building aircraft engines.

Copper- Chalcopyrite is a yellowy ore of copper and bornite, another major ore has a bluish purple colour. Copper is not a particularly reactive metal, so it is quite easy to extract from its ores- it can be extracted by simply heating it with carbon. Copper is a great conductor, so it is very important in electrical circuitry and it is also easily shaped so is the most common material to be used in household water pipes.

Lead- Galena is the name of the main ore of lead and is commonly found in limestone. The South of the USA is particular rich in deposits of galena, and lead is extracted to help supply the worlds need for roofing materials and solder. Lead melts easily and is very heavy and soft, almost the exact opposite to metals such as titanium.

Tin- Casserite is an ore of tin and it is very hard, heavy and resists abrasive forces very well. Tin itself is a very useful metal and most of its uses are based upon its lack of toxicity and its relatively low melting point. It is used together with lead to make solder, an alloy used to fix electrical components together, a very important factor in electrical circuitry. However tin is also pretty expensive in comparison to most metals, so many of its former uses and now fulfilled by other metals- a prime example of this is in the canning industry, where aluminium and steel are now used instead of tin, as they are significantly cheaper.