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Transition Metals, Quantitative Chemistry and Industrial Processes

Alloys and alloy steels

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 1

Overview

What an alloy is, why pure metals bend easily while atoms of a different size make alloys stronger and less malleable, gold alloys for rings, steel and stainless steel, and the properties of high-carbon and low-carbon steel.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Explain, in terms of the arrangement of atoms, why an alloy is harder and less malleable than the pure metal.

Key term

What is an alloy?

Key term

Describe how the atoms are arranged in a pure metal.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is an alloy?

    Model answer

    An alloy is a mixture of a metal with one or more other elements.

  2. 2

    Describe how the atoms are arranged in a pure metal.

    Model answer

    The atoms are all the same size and are packed in regular layers.

  3. 3

    Explain why a pure metal can be bent and shaped easily.

    Model answer

    Its layers of identical atoms can slide over one another when a force is applied.

  4. 4

    Explain, in terms of atoms, why an alloy is usually stronger than the pure metal it is made from.

    Model answer

    The added atoms are a different size, so they distort the regular layers and prevent them sliding over each other.

  5. 5

    Suggest why adding a small amount of carbon to iron makes the metal much harder.

    Model answer

    Carbon atoms are a different size from iron atoms, so they disrupt the layers and stop them sliding.

  6. 6

    What happens to the malleability of a metal when it is alloyed?

    Model answer

    Malleability decreases, because the distorted layers can no longer slide over each other easily.

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Key Concepts in Chemistry
States of Matter and Mixtures
Chemical Changes
Extracting Metals and Equilibria

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AChlorine is a pale green gas at room temperature.
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