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When iron is alloyed with carbon it becomes less brittle.

Chemistry - Alloys (AQA)

Alloys are mixtures of metals, or metals with other elements, designed to improve strength, hardness or resistance to corrosion compared with the pure metals used alone.

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Fascinating Fact:

Steel is iron with carbon. Low carbon steel is softer and easy to shape, high carbon steel is harder and more brittle.

In GCSE Science (Chemistry), you learn how alloys are made by mixing metals with other elements. This changes their properties so they are better for buildings, tools, vehicles and everyday products.

Key Terms

Alloy: A mixture of a metal with other metals or elements to give useful properties.
Pure metal: A metal made of only one type of atom, such as pure iron or pure copper.
Property: A characteristic of a material, such as strength, hardness, melting point or resistance to corrosion.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is an alloy in GCSE Chemistry?

An alloy is a mixture of a metal with other metals or elements. The different atoms disrupt the structure so the alloy gains improved properties compared with the pure metal.

Why are alloys often harder than pure metals?

Alloys are often harder because the different sized atoms make it more difficult for layers in the metal structure to slide. This increased resistance to sliding makes the alloy harder and stronger.

What are some common examples of alloys?

Common alloys include brass (copper and zinc), bronze (copper and tin), stainless steel (iron with chromium and nickel) and solder (a mixture such as tin and lead or tin and silver).

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Aluminium is a light metal but why is it not used to make aircraft?

It is too brittle

It corrodes too easily

It is too weak

It conducts electricity

Mixing it with small quantities of other metals increases its strength and durability

2 .

How is the percentage of carbon in pig iron reduced to form steels?

By burning it off using oxygen

By filtering it out

By dissolving it in sulfuric acid

By scraping it off the surface of the metal

It is converted to carbon dioxide. At the same time, other impurities are removed

3 .

Why are 'silver' coins made from an alloy or nickel plated steel and not from silver?

Silver is too valuable

People would keep silver coins instead of spending them

It is too difficult to get silver into the right size and shape

Silver is too soft

Pure silver coins are easily defaced and lose weight rapidly because the silver gets rubbed away. The alloy used for making 'silver' coins is cupro-nickel

4 .

Which of the following is a use of mild steel?

Boat fittings

Aircraft body panels

Cables for large cranes

All of the above

Mild steel is used in cables for cranes because it remains very strong when being stretched. It is also used for the frames of large buildings and the construction of bridges because of its strength. It is used to reinforce concrete because it expands and contracts at the same rate as the concrete when heated and cooled, adding strength and flexibility

5 .

Which of the following is not a reason for making an alloy?

To make a material that is transparent to light waves

To make a corrosion resistant material

To make a harder material

To make a more malleable material

There are many more good reasons for making alloys instead of using just the metal, e.g. to make it stronger, more ductile or less dense

6 .

Why are alloys stronger than the materials from which they are made?

They contain different sized atoms that 'lock' the structure

This is only true if you use a strong metal with a weak one

They form a chemical compound

The heat needed to make them gives alloys their greater strength

Metals are made up from layers of atoms that are able to slide past each other. Adding the different sized atoms makes it a lot harder for this to happen, thus increasing the metal's strength

7 .

Which of the following is a use of high carbon steel?

Cutting tools

Car body panels

Furniture

None of the above

It is harder than mild steel and will stay sharper for longer as the carbon content is higher. However, the carbon makes it more brittle

8 .

What is an alloy?

A mixture of metals

A mixture of non-metals

A mixture of a metal with either non-metals or other metals

A pure metal that has been shaped in a certain way

Quite often, there is only a very small percentage of the added metal or non-metal in an alloy

9 .

Brass is an alloy of 70 per cent copper and 30 per cent zinc. Which of the following is not a use of brass?

In electrical fittings

In boat fittings

In aircraft frames

In musical instruments

Brass conducts electricity well and is resistant to corrosion. It can be polished easily and resembles gold. It is hard to find something that hasn't been made of brass. Although some brass is used in aircraft, it is not normally part of the aircraft framework or skin as these require much lighter alloys

10 .

Why does iron directly from a blast furnace have limited usefulness?

It is too hot

It is in the form of a big ingot

It contains about 4% impurities, including carbon

It is too soft

The impurities and the carbon make the iron very brittle. The impurities and at least half of the carbon have to be removed before it can be turned into anything useful. Iron direct from the blast furnace is called 'pig iron'

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Metals and alloys - AQA

Author: Kev Woodward (PGCE, Science & Chemistry Teacher, Quiz Writer)