Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
1. Extraction of metals from minerals and their ores
1.1 What is mineral?
The Earth’s crust is made up of rocks and soils. Soils mainly come from the breakdown of rocks. Rock is
usually a mixture of minerals. In other words, the Earth’s crust is a source of minerals.
Minerals are naturally occurring substances that have a specific chemical composition. Minerals may be
elements, like gold and carbon (in the form of diamond), which are found free in rocks. See Figure 4.1.
More commonly, minerals are compounds of different elements. Silicon and oxygen are two elements that
form the major types of minerals in the Earth’s crust.
calciumcarbonate
GCQ
Granite is a mixture of mainly three kinds of minerals. They are quartz, mica and feldspar. Each of them is a
Sia silicondioxide
compound. Quartz is a compound of silicon and oxygen. Feldspar and mica are compounds formed from
silicon, oxygen and other elements.
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry chemical Change Rocks and minerals
usually
1.2 Extraction of metals from their ores
[Link] 13
An ore is the type of rock that contains useful minerals, from which a metal can be extracted. Most of the
metals used in daily life are extracted from their ores.
gold
fools
Bauxite CALOD
___________________ copper pyrite [Link]
___________________ ___________________ Galena
_______________
Pbs
The table below shows some common ores of metals. Few metals can be extracted from their ores by
physical methods, while most of them are extracted by chemical methods.
Extraction of metals using physical methods
A few very unreactive metals (e.g. gold and platinum) exist as free elements in the Earth’s crust. They can be
extracted by physical methods like mechanical separation. For example, gold can be extracted by panning.
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
Extraction of metals using chemical methods
1. Heating the metal ore alone
Unreactive metals such as mercury and silver can be extracted by heating their ores alone. For example,
silver can be extracted from silver oxide by heating it strongly.
Chemical equations:
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dioxide
mercuryIN sulphur
sulphide
klnnabar硃砂 2Ago 4Ages tag
silveroxide
blacksolid
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2. Heating the metal ore with carbon
iopper
The more reactive metals, such as zinc, iron and lead, can be extracted by heating their ores with carbon. For
example, lead can be extracted from lead(II) oxide by heating it with carbon strongly.
Chemical equations:
PbOcs this 2Pbcs tlozg
GO ⼗ Lcs 7 Lluy ⼗ Cozlg
blacksolid
3. Electrolysis of the molten metal ore
potassium magnesium
The most reactive metals, such as sodium, calcium and aluminium, can be extracted by electrolysis of their
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molten ores. For example, aluminium is extracted from molten aluminium oxide by passing electricity
through it.
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
2. Rocks containing calcium carbonate
Limestone, chalk and marble are rocks which contain mainly calcium carbonate.
limestone chalk marble
The skeletons and shells of sea animals are made up of calcium carbonate. When sea animals die, they sink
to the bottom of the oceans and are covered by mud and sand. Over millions of years, due to high
temperatures, high pressures and earth movements, the calcium carbonate changes to chalk, limestone and
marble.
Oyster shells are mainly made up of calcium limestone
Limestone blockscarbonate.
can be used to construct buildings and roads. Limestone has other uses as well. They are
used to make cement, make glass, build sculptures, and to neutralize acidic soil.
Limestone is used as the Limestone is used to make Powdered limestone is used
construction material for cement. to neutralize acidic soil.
some footpaths.
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
2.1 Action of heat and water on calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a white solid. It decomposes to calcium oxide and carbon dioxide when it is heated
strongly. This type of reaction is called thermal decomposition. observable change
no
CaCO3(s) → CaO(s) + CO2(g)
The calcium oxide formed is a white solid and is commonly known as quicklime. When water is added to
calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) forms and a lot of heat is given off.
CaO(s) + H2O(l) → Ca(OH)2(aq)
Calcium hydroxide is only slightly soluble in water. When water is added to calcium hydroxide, a saturated
solution with white suspension forms. After the suspension is filtered, a colourless solution is obtained. The
filtrate is limewater.
water Is the
lime
saturated calcium
Calcium hydroxide hydroxide solution
solids filtration
Suspension of calcium
limewater
hydroxide in water.
Limewater is used to test for the presence of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide turns limewater from
colourless to milky due to the formation of white insoluble calcium carbonate.
CO2 (g) + Ca(OH)2 (aq) → CaCO3 (s) + H2O (l)
If excess carbon dioxide is added to limewater, the limewater firstly turns from colourless to milky and
then turns from white to colourless again. This is because the excess carbon dioxide further reacts with
calcium carbonate and water to form water-soluble calcium hydrogencarbonate, Ca(HCO3)2 .
CO2 (g) + CaCO3 (s) + H2O (l) → Ca(HCO3)2 (aq)
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
2.2 Action of acids on calcium carbonate an ionic compound
Metal carbonates such as calcium carbonate react with acids to give salt, carbon dioxide and water.
As carbon dioxide is produced, the evolving of colourless gas bubbles is observed or we could say
effervescence occurs.
CaCO3 (s) + 2HCl (aq) → CaCl2 (aq) + CO2 (g) + H2O (l)
hydrochloric acid calcium chloride (salt)
CaCO3 (s) + 2HNO3 (aq) → Ca(NO3)2 (aq) + CO2 (g) + H2O (l)
nitric acid calcium nitrate (salt)
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CaCO3 (s) + H2SO4 (aq) → CaSO4 (s) + CO2 (g) + H2O (l)
sulphuric acid calcium sulphate (salt)
For the reaction of calcium carbonate and sulphuric acid, insoluble calcium sulphate will be formed and coat
on the surface of calcium carbonate. This hinders further reaction of calcium carbonate and sulphuric acid.
Only little amount of colourless gas bubbles are formed and the reaction stops once the surface of calcium
carbonate is totally coated by calcium sulphate.
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
Test for the presence of carbonate ion in a sample
When carbonates react with dilute hydrochloric acid, carbon dioxide is given off. To test for the presence of
carbonate in a sample, dilute hydrochloric acid is added to the sample. If a colourless gas evolves which
turns limewater milky, carbonate ions are present in the sample.
2.3 Weathering of limestone by acidic substances
Rainwater is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide in air dissolves slightly in it, forming carbonic acid.
carbon dioxide + water → carbonic acid
CO2(g) + H2O(l) → H2CO3(aq)
The pH value of normal rain water is 5.6, acid rain refers to rain water with pH lower than 5.6.
The carbonic acid formed reacts with calcium carbonate in limestone to form water-soluble calcium
hydrogencarbonate.
CaCO3 (s) + H2CO3 (aq) → Ca(HCO3)2 (aq)
Calcium hydrogencarbonate is soluble in water and thus
the limestone is slowly worn away. This natural
weathering process causes damage to limestone statues.
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
2.4 Summary of changes involving calcium carbonate
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Sha Tin Methodist College Chapter 4 Study Notes – Part I
Form 4 Chemistry Rocks and minerals
3. More about metal carbonates and metal hydrogencarbonates
Important examination skills to get level 5**
3.1 Thermal stability of metal carbonates
Not all metal carbonates decompose upon heating. Only group II metal carbonate will do so, such as
magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate. You should notice that all group I metal carbonates will
NOT decompose heating, such as Na2CO3, K2CO3 and etc.
This phenomenon can be explained according to the reactivity of metals. We have learnt that the reactivity of
metals depends on their tendency of losing electrons and thus, we found that the reactivity of metals
increases down the group, and for metal elements belong to the same period, the order of reactivity is group
I metal > group II metal > group III metal.
The compounds formed from more reactive metal are more stable. Therefore, all group I metal
carbonate are stable enough to withstand high temperature without decomposition. For group II metal
carbonates, take MgCO3 and CaCO3 as examples:
Since calcium is more reactive than magnesium, the compound formed by calcium is more stable than those
formed by magnesium. In other words, calcium carbonate is more stable than magnesium carbonate. Despite
the fact that calcium carbonate will also decompose upon heating, chemists found that magnesium carbonate
decomposes even more rapidly upon heating than calcium carbonate.
3.2 Stability of metal hydrogencarbonates
Hydrogencarbonate ion itself is unstable. There are indeed only few kinds of metal hydrogencarbonates,
with sodium hydrogencarbonate, potassium hydrogencarbonate, ammonium hydrogencarbonate and calcium
hydrogencarbonate inclusive. You should notice that all the above-named metal hydrogencarbonates
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decompose heating to give metal carbonate, carbon dioxide and water/
e.g.: 2NaHCO3 (s) → Na2CO3 (s) + CO2(g) + H2O (l)
9
etd
carbonates
I metal carbonate II metal carbonate
group group
stable less stable
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Narcos KCO
e.g
Na is more reactive than Mg
is more stable than
So thecompound formed
by Na
Mg does
All group
I metal carbonates will 些 decompose
II Metal carbonah will
bù group
upon heating
do so
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