Elements, Mixtures and Compounds 6CHEM

ALLOYS
Alloys

An alloy is a mixture of two or more elements, where at least one element is a metal. Many
alloys are mixtures of two or more metals.

This table shows examples of common alloys that contain these metals:

Alloy Composition Uses

Duralumin Aluminium and copper Aircraft parts

Magnalium Aluminium and magnesium Aircraft parts

Bronze Copper and tin Propellers for ships, bells

Brass Copper and zinc Coins, musical instruments

Jewellery gold Gold and copper Jewellery

Solder Tin and copper Joining copper pipes and electrical components

Alloy strength

Converting pure metals into alloys often increases the strength of the product. For example, brass
is an alloy of copper and zinc. It is stronger than copper or zinc alone.

Metal Tensile strength (MPa)

Copper 220

Zinc 139

Brass 350

Explaining alloy strength

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 Elements, Mixtures and Compounds 6CHEM
Solid metals have a regular lattice structure. When a force is applied to a metal, layers
of atoms can move past each other. The more difficult it is for the layers to move, the more force
is needed and the stronger the metal.

Copper and zinc atoms are different sizes. This distorts the regular lattice structure in brass, so
layers of atoms cannot slide over each other so easily. This makes brass stronger than copper or
zinc alone.

Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin - the first man-made alloy.

Materials scientist Mark Miodownik explains how bronze helped our early ancestors to progress
quickly, improving technology and the chance to build but it also led to weapons that were more
deadly too. (Remember Bronze Age? See page 78-79 in your book.). He begins his journey in
the copper mines of an Israeli desert, examining how ancient man extracted copper from rocks.
He follows the quest to find stronger metals such as steel.

Alloy steels

Iron is alloyed with other metals to produce a range of alloy steels. Different steels have
different properties, depending on their composition. This table shows three common examples:

Alloy steel Additional elements Properties

Mild steel Carbon Malleable, ductile

Tool steel Tungsten Hard, resistant to high temperatures

Stainless steel Chromium Hard, resistant to rusting

Mild steel is useful for making car body parts because it is easily pressed into shape. Although
mild steel rusts, it can be protected by galvanizing and painting. Tool steel is useful for making
drill bits. These do not easily become damaged by the heating caused by friction during drilling.

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 Elements, Mixtures and Compounds 6CHEM
Q. Explain why stainless steel is used to make washing machines and dishwashers?

Washing machines and dishwashers contain water. This would cause other steels to rust, but stainless
steel does not rust.

Aluminium has a low density, so pieces of aluminium are relatively lightweight. The alloys
duralumin and magnalium are stronger than aluminium alone but still have low densities. They
are used to make aircraft parts.

Q. Suggest an explanation for why magnalium is used to make aircraft parts?

Magnalium alloy is stronger than aluminium but still has a low density. This makes it suitable for
aircraft parts, which must be light and also strong.

Copper and brass resist corrosion and are good electrical conductors. Copper is a better
conductor than brass so it is used in electrical wiring. Brass is stronger than copper.

Q. Suggest why brass, not copper, is used for the pins on electrical plugs?

The pins on an electrical plug have to conduct electricity but they must also be strong and not break
when the plug is used. Although copper is a better conductor, brass still does conduct electricity well.
The strength of brass makes it a more suitable material to choose.

Gold

Gold is a very soft and malleable metal. It is also very unreactive so it resists corrosion and stays
shiny. The visors on space helmets are coated with a layer of gold. This is thin enough for the
astronaut to see through but thick enough to reflect sunlight. The gold used for jewelry is gold
alloyed with other metals, often copper. This makes the jewelry much stronger while keeping its
ability to stay shiny.