Metal Ores L.O: To know that a few unreactive metals are found in the earth as elements and to know that the majority of metals are found as compounds in a metal ore and that these ores are mined.

Things we can mine from the ground… Starter What are some things that we can mine from the ground? Answer in a spider diagram, like the one below… Things we can mine from the ground… Metal ores Fossil fuels Gems

Extracting Metals from Ores The rest of the metals we get by extracting them from metal ores, which are mined from under the ground.

Extracting Metals from Ores A metal ore is a rock which contains enough metal to make it profitable to extract the metal from it.

Extracting Metals from Ores In many cases the ore is an oxide of the metal. For example, the main aluminium ore is called bauxite — it's aluminium oxide (Al2O3).

Extracting Metals from Ores Most metals need to be extracted from their ores using a chemical reaction.

Extracting Metals from Ores The economics (profitability) of metal extraction can change over time.

Fill In the gaps! If the market price of a metal drops a lot, it could cost more to extract than the price it's sold for. In this situation the metal wouldn't be worth extracting because there would be no profit to be made. If the market price increases a lot then it might be worth extracting more of it. As technology improves, it becomes possible to extract more metal from a sample of rock than was originally possible. So it might now be worth extracting metal that wasn't worth extracting in the past. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? improves more extracting drops worth sold past no profit worth increases

How can metals be extracted? A metal can be extracted from it’s ore chemically, by: Reduction Electrolysis Or sometimes displacement reactions Some ores may have to be concentrated before the metal is extracted — this involves getting rid of the unwanted rocky material.

Questions What is a metal ore? Explain why a change in the market price of a metal could affect how much of that metal is extracted from its ores. Name two chemical methods of extracting metals from their ores.

Answers A metal ore is a rock which contains enough metal to make it profitable to extract the metal from it. If the market price of a metal falls, it might cost more to extract the metal than would be gained from selling it. So the amount of metal extracted would fall. If the market price of the metal increased then more of the metal might be extracted from its ore, as more money could be made from it. Any two from: reduction / electrolysis / displacement reactions.