Download Topic 11: Metals - Eastbank Academy

Topic 11: Metals
Introduction
Pupils should be encouraged to identify the presence and use of metals in the world around them.
The social and industrial importance of the metal industry should be discussed, including the
finite nature of metal sources and the need for re-cycling. Pupils should be aware that over threequarters of the chemical elements are metals; this topic deals with some properties, uses and
reactions of the more common metals and considers why some are found uncombined while
others have to be extracted from ores.
At General Level, the Learning Outcomes are based on:
 some understanding of the macroscopic features of metal chemistry
 an awareness of the idea of reactivity in metals
 knowledge of ways of extracting metals from ores
 knowledge of the changes brought about by alloying.
At Credit Level, in addition, the Learning Outcomes require knowledge that some metal oxides
can be reduced by heating with other substances; the ability to carry out calculations involving
percentage composition.
Topic 11: Metals
Learning Outcomes
GENERAL LEVEL (Grades 4, 3)
CREDIT LEVEL (Grades 2, 1)
Pupils should be able to:
and in addition to:
1 State that metals conduct electricity when
solid or liquid
2 Relate specific properties of metals, eg
density, thermal and electrical conductivity,
malleability, strength, to their uses
3 Explain the need for recycling metals in
terms of the finite nature of the metal
resources
4 Describe the reactions of different metals
with oxygen, water and dilute acid
5 State that these reactions give an
indication of the reactivity of the metal
6 State that ores are naturally-occurring
compounds of metals
7 State that the less reactive metals are
found uncombined in the earth’s crust and
that the more reactive metals have to be
extracted from ores
GENERAL LEVEL (Grades 4, 3)
CREDIT LEVEL (Grades 2, 1)
8
Explain that the extraction of a metal
from its ore is an example of reduction
9 Explain why the inactive metals were
among the first to be discovered
10 Give examples of social and industrial
factors which resulted in large scale
extraction of more reactive metals
11 State that some metals can be obtained
from metal oxides by heat alone; some by
heating with carbon; and some need other
methods
Explain in terms of reactivity of the
metal why some metals can be
obtained from the metal oxides by heat
alone; and why some metal oxides need
to be heated with other substances,
eg carbon or carbon monoxide; and
why some metals cannot be obtained by
these methods.
12 State that iron is produced from iron ore in
the blast furnace
13 State the two key reactions which take
place in the blast furnace:
 production of carbon monoxide
 reduction of iron oxide
14 State that an alloy is a mixture of metals
or of metals with non-metals
15 Give examples of the important uses of
alloys, eg brass, solder, “stainless” steel
16
Work out empirical (or molecular)
formulae from masses or
percentage composition
17
Work out percentage masses of
elements in compounds from their
names or formulae