ECE #4

Question 1

Valence electrons

Answer 1

electrons in the outermost shell of an atom

Question 2

Chemical Stability

Answer 2

a substance’s ability to resist chemical change or decomposition

Question 3

Chemical Similarity

Answer 3

chemicals that have similar reactions, behaviors, properties and functional qualities

Question 4

Acid mine drainage

Answer 4

acidic water that forms when sulfide minerals, (toxic gas minerals) often pyrite, in exposed rock, are oxidized by air and water, creating sulfuric acid (toxic gas)

Question 5

Acid rain

Answer 5

any form of precipitation with acidic components

Question 6

Chemical separation

Answer 6

the process of dividing a mixture into its individual components,

often using techniques like distillation (separating liquids by boiling point)

filtration (separating an insoluble solid from a liquid), and

chromatography (separating based on different interactions with a material).

Question 7

Electrolysis

Answer 7

the process of using an electric current to drive a chemical reaction that does not occur naturally, such as decomposing an element into simpler compounds

Question 8

Underground (subsurface) Mining vs. Surface Mining (Open Pit Mine)

Answer 8

Underground mining accesses mineral deposits deep beneath the surface by creating tunnels and shafts,

while Surface (open pit) mining extracts resources that are close to the earth’s surface by digging a large pit

Question 9

bauxite

Answer 9

A rock + main ore of aluminum

How it forms- It is formed over millions of years by the chemical weathering of rocks, which leaches away silica and concentrates aluminum oxides and hydroxides

Key components- Bauxite contains various hydrated aluminum oxides, such as gibbsite, as well as impurities like iron oxides and silica

Question 10

Gibbsite

Answer 10

It is the primary source for extracting alumina and can be found as a major mineral in soils, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.

Question 11

Alumina

Answer 11

A pure, white, sandy material that is produced from bauxite

Gibbsite (and other aluminum minerals) from bauxite is processed (grinding, separated, heated), and the resulting aluminum hydroxide hydrate is washed and then heated to high temperatures to produce pure alumina.

Question 12

aluminum

Answer 12

The final product, metallic aluminum

Alumina is dissolved in a molten substance called cryolite and then purified into aluminum metal through a process called electrolysis

Question 13

renewable / non-renewable resource

Answer 13

Renewable resources, like solar and wind, are naturally replenished and won’t run out, while

non-renewable resources, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), are finite and depleted with use. Both types of resources are used for energy and materials

Question 14

Galena

Answer 14

Galena is a lead sulfide mineral, primarily known as the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver

Question 15

Cobalt

Answer 15

a hard, brittle, silvery-gray metal with the atomic number 27. It is a critical component in many applications, including high-temperature alloys for jet engines, rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, and strong magnets

Question 16

Cobaltite (mineral form)

Answer 16

cobalt, iron, and arsenic sulfide mineral, often appearing as a silver-white to grayish-black metallic ore

Question 17

Rock vs. Mineral

Answer 17

A mineral is a naturally occurring, solid, inorganic (not from a living being) substance with a defined chemical composition and crystalline structure, while a rock is a solid made up of one or more minerals, or mineral-like matter

Question 18

Ore

Answer 18

An ore is a naturally occurring mineral or rock from which a useful substance, especially a metal, can be mined for economic profit.

Question 19

Smelting

Answer 19

a process of extracting metal from its ore by heating it to a high temperature to cause a chemical reduction

Question 20

Strategic metal

Answer 20

Important, strong metals that countries need for things like life defense, technology, and energy. However, they aren’t abundant enough inside the country so they have to import them. Because countries depend on them but they don’t have enough they are called strategic metals

Question 21

Alloy

Answer 21

A metallic substance made by combining two or more elements, which can be two or more metals, or a metal and a nonmetal like carbon.

Question 22

mine tailings

Answer 22

finely ground waste materials left over after valuable minerals have been extracted from ore during the mining process

Question 23

Diminishing returns/Depletion

Answer 23

Diminishing returns is an economic principle where adding more of a single input (like labor or fertilizer) to a fixed set of other inputs (like machines or land) will eventually lead to smaller and smaller increases in output, If you add more and more salt to a dish it wont taste good anymore.

Question 24

Arsenic

Answer 24

a naturally occurring metalloid that is toxic in high concentrations and linked to certain cancers

Question 25

Sulfur

Answer 25

a nonmetal element with atomic number 16, found as a bright yellow crystalline solid at room temperature. It is essential for life, a key ingredient in sulfuric acid, and has diverse uses in products like fertilizers, gunpowder, and antibiotics