Metallurgy and the Chemistry of Metals Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions, mineral types, production methods, and theoretical concepts of metallurgy and metal chemistry.

Mineral

A naturally occurring substance with a range of chemical compositions.

Ore

A mineral deposit concentrated enough to allow economical recovery of a desired metal.

Metallurgy

The science and technology of separating metals from their ores and of compounding alloys.

Alloy

A solid solution either of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals with one or more nonmetals.

Roasting

A process in metal production where an ore, such as a sulfide, is heated in the presence of oxygen, for example: $2PbS(s) + 3O_2(g) \rightarrow 2PbO(s) + 2SO_2(g)$.

Chemical Reduction

The use of a chemical agent to reduce metal oxides to pure metals, such as using $Mg$ to reduce $TiCl_4$ or $H_2$ to reduce $WO_3$.

Electrolytic Reduction

A process used to obtain active metals like lithium, sodium, or aluminum by passing an electric current through a molten salt or oxide.

Witherite

A carbonate mineral with the chemical formula $BaCO_3$.

Fluorite

A halide mineral with the chemical formula $CaF_2$.

Bauxite

An oxide mineral with the formula $Al_2O_3 \times 2H_2O$, which is the principal ore of aluminum.

Hematite

An oxide mineral of iron with the chemical formula $Fe_2O_3$.

Galena

A sulfide mineral with the chemical formula $PbS$.

Epsomite

A sulfate mineral with the chemical formula $MgSO_4 \times 7H_2O$.

Blast Furnace

A structure used for producing iron where iron oxides are reduced using coke ($C$) and carbon monoxide ($CO$) at temperatures ranging from $200 \text{ to } 1200\times^{\circ}C$.

Stainless Steel

A type of steel containing $0.03-1.2\%$ carbon, $1.0-10\%$ manganese, and high levels of chromium ($4.0-27\%$) and nickel ($1-22\%$), used for kitchen utensils and razor blades.

Mond Process

A purification process for nickel that involves reacting impure nickel with $CO$ to form $Ni(CO)_4$ gas at $70\times^{\circ}C$, followed by thermal decomposition at $200\times^{\circ}C$ to yield pure metal.

Zone Refining

A purification method where a heating coil moves along a metal rod, melting a small portion to carry impurities to the end of the rod.

Band Theory

A theory of conductivity stating that delocalized electrons move freely through "bands" formed by overlapping molecular orbitals.

Conductor

A material, such as a metal, characterized by having no energy gap between the valence band and the conduction band.

Semiconductor

A material characterized by a small energy gap between the valence and conduction bands.

Insulator

A material characterized by a large energy gap between the valence band and the conduction band, preventing electron flow.

n-type semiconductor

A semiconductor created by adding donor impurities, such as Phosphorus ($P$), which provide extra electrons to the conduction band.

p-type semiconductor

A semiconductor created by adding acceptor impurities, such as Boron ($B$), which create "holes" in the valence band.

Metallic Character

A periodic trend that increases from right to left across a period and from top to bottom down a group.

Alkali Metals

Group 1A elements with an $ns^1$ valence configuration that react with water to form $H_2$ gas and metal hydroxides ($MOH$).

Alkaline Earth Metals

Group 2A elements with an $ns^2$ valence configuration; reactivity with water increases down the group, with $Be$ showing no reaction.

Bayer Process

The industrial process of refining bauxite to produce pure aluminum oxide ($Al_2O_3$) by treating the ore with hot sodium hydroxide ($OH^-$).