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Unit 2: Metals and their Extraction

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

Why are alloys often more useful than pure metals, and why do we recycle metals?

The properties and uses of alloys, why alloys are harder than pure metals, and the economic and environmental reasons for recycling metals.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Chemistry topic 2.3 on alloys and recycling, covering what an alloy is, why alloys are harder than pure metals, common examples such as steel, and the economic and environmental reasons for recycling metals.
8 min answer →

How does electrolysis extract reactive metals, and why is aluminium made this way?

Electrolysis of molten ionic compounds, the reactions at the electrodes, and the extraction of aluminium from molten aluminium oxide.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Chemistry topic 2.3 on electrolysis, covering how a molten ionic compound conducts and breaks down, the reactions at the cathode and anode, and how aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide using cryolite.
10 min answer →

Why are different metals extracted in different ways, and how is iron made in the blast furnace?

Metal ores, extraction by reduction with carbon for metals below carbon in the reactivity series, and the reactions of the blast furnace.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Chemistry topic 2.3 on extracting metals, covering ores, why the extraction method depends on reactivity, reduction with carbon, and the reactions that take place inside the blast furnace to make iron.
9 min answer →

How do we order metals by reactivity, and what does that order let us predict?

The reactivity series, reactions of metals with water and dilute acid, and displacement reactions of metals from solutions of their salts.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Chemistry topic 2.3 on the reactivity series, covering how metals are ordered by their reactions with water and acid, displacement reactions, and how the order predicts the outcome of metal reactions.
9 min answer →