Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Iron sulphide
(f) When magnesium ribbon is heated, it burns with a bright flame. A white solid,
magnesium oxide is formed.
Magnesium + Oxygen Magnesium
oxide
(g) Zinc reacts with blue copper sulphate solution to form a colorless zinc sulphate
solution and brown copper.
Zinc + Copper sulphate
Zinc sulphate
+ Copper
(h) Iron nail rust when water and oxygen are present. Rust is brown.
Iron + Oxygen + Water
Rust
(i) Heating green copper carbonate produces black copper oxide and releases
carbon dioxide.
Copper carbonate
Copper oxide +
Carbon dioxide
(j) Mixing potassium iodide and lead nitrate solution forms lead iodide, a yellow
precipitate.
Potassium + Lead
iodide
nitrate
Potassium + Lead
nitrate
iodide
Aspect
Physical changes
Formation of new
substance
No
Reversibility
Reversible
Energy needed
Chemical changes
increases.
During chemical reactions, old bonds in the reactants are broken and
new bonds in the products are formed.
The breaking down of old bonds absorbs heat energy whereas the
formation of new bonds releases heat energy.
In exothermic reactions, the heat energy absorbed to break the old bonds in
the reactants is less than the heat energy released when the new bonds are
formed in the products
In endothermic reactions, the heat energy absorbed to break the old bonds
in the reactants is greater than the heat energy released when the new bonds
are formed in the products
In the Haber process, nitrogen and hydrogen gases are mixed together.
The mixture is passed over an iron catalyst.
Iron catalyst
Nitrogen + Hydrogen
Ammonia
450 C
200 atm
Haber process
Sulphur
dioxide
Vanadium(V)
oxide catalyst
Sulphur dioxide + Oxygen
Sulphur trioxide
450 C
Sulphur + Concentrated
trioxide
Oleum
sulphuric acid
Oleum + Water
Concentrated
sulphuric acid
Contact process
Why do gold, silver and platinum exist as elements in the Earths crust
and whereas metals such as sodium and potassium do not exist as
elements in the Earths crust?
Some metals are more reactive than others. Different metals show
different reactivity with water, acids and oxygen.
(i) Reaction of reactive metal with water to produce alkali and hydrogen.
Metal + Water
Alkali + Hydrogen
(ii) Reaction of reactive metal with dilute acid to produce a salt and
hydrogen.
Metal + Dilute acid
Salt + Hydrogen
Metal oxide
Based on their reactivity with oxygen, metals and carbon (non-metal) can
be arranged in a reactivity series as follows:
Potassium
Sodium
Calcium
Magnesium
Aluminium
Carbon
Zinc
Iron
Tin
Lead
Copper
Silver
Gold
When carbon is heated with a metal oxide, carbon can remove oxygen
from the metal oxide if carbon is more reactive than the metal.
When zinc oxide and iron oxide are heated with carbon, the oxygen in the
metal oxides are removed by carbon. Therefore, carbon is more
reactive than zinc and iron.
When carbon is heated with aluminium oxide, the carbon cannot remove
oxygen from aluminium oxide.
This means that carbon is more reactive than zinc and iron but less
reactive than aluminium. Therefore, carbon is positioned between
aluminium and zinc in the reactivity series.
Most metals in the Earths crust are reactive. They react readily with other
elements to form compounds such as oxides, sulphides and carbonates.
These compounds are called ores.
Ore
Composition
Bauxite
Aluminium oxide
Cassiterite
Tin(IV) oxide
Haematite
Iron(III) oxide
Sphaletite
Zinc sulphide
Sedimentary rock
Calcium carbonate
The method of extracting a metal from its ore depends on its position in the
reactivity series.
Metals below carbon in the reactivity series can be extracted from their
oxides with using carbon because they are less reactive than carbon.
Carbon removes the oxygen from tin(IV) oxide because it is more reactive
than tin.
Tin(IV) oxide + Carbon
Tin + Carbon
dioxide
Limestone is added to react with the impurities in the tin ore. Slag is
formed.
Two products are collected at the bottom of the blast furnace. Molten slag
floats on the molten tin. This allow the two products to flow separately.
5.5 ELECTROLYSIS
The electrode joined to the positive terminal of the dry cell is called the
anode whereas the electrode joined to the negative terminal is called
the cathode.
Electrolysis
In the complete circuit, the bulb lights up. This is because molten lead
bromide conducts electricity.
At the cathode, lead ions receive electrons to become lead atoms. Lead
metal is formed (grey solid).
(i) Electroplating
- To prevent iron objects from corrosion, they are electroplated with a thin layer
of unreactive metals such as copper, silver and chromium.
- Electroplating make these objects resistant to corrosion and more
attractive.
- At the anode, the copper dissolves to form positively-charged copper ions.
- At the cathode, the copper ions receive electrons to form a coat of copper on
the iron spoon.
A rheostat is used to control the current flow in the circuit so that a small current
is used and the object to be electroplated must be cleaned with a sandpaper
before electrolysis. These steps are to obtain good results.
- When aluminium oxide melts, aluminium ions and oxide ions are free to move.
- When electricity is passed through the electrolyte, the positively-charged
aluminium ions are attracted to the cathode. They receive electrons and become
aluminium atoms.
- The molten aluminium formed is channelled into moulds.
- At the anode, the oxide ions lose electrons to become oxygen atoms. The
oxygen atoms combine together to form oxygen gas.
Purifying copper by
electrolysis
5.6 THE PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY FROM CHEMICAL REACTIONS
A simple cell
Refer to the diagram above:
Magnesium and copper strips are used as electrodes with copper sulphate
solution as the electrolyte.
The electrons flow to the copper strip through the wire and this produces
electricity.
Type of cell
Dry cells
Lead-acid
accumulators
Uses
Advantages
Used in portable
devices such as
radios, cassette
players, cameras
and toys
Used in vehicles
Light
Small
Portable
Cheap
Disadvantages
High voltage
Rechargeable
Long-lasting
if well taken
care of
Nonrechargeable
Not longlasting
Leakage may
happen when
the zinc case
becomes
thinner
Heavy
Expensive
Acid might
spill
Distilled
water needs
to be added
Alkaline batteries
Long-lasting
Large current
Constant
voltage
Nonrechargeable
Mercury cell
Used in watches,
calculators, hearing
aides and
measuring
instruments
Expensive
Nonrechargeable
Small
Portable
Steady
voltage
Constant
current
Long-lasting
Rechargeable
Long-lasting
Expensive
Nickel-cadmium
batteries
Used in electronic
devices such as
digital cameras
light
Carbon + Water
dioxide
Glucose + Oxygen
chlorophyll
We should use electric cells efficiently to prevent wastage. Turn off all
the electrical devices when they are not in use.
Fuel cells are electric cells which does not run down or require recharging.
A hydrogen fuel cell uses hydrogen as fuel to react with oxygen to produce
energy.
The product is water which will not pollute the environment.