Alloys (CIE IGCSE Chemistry)
Revision Note
Author
CarolineExpertise
Physics Lead
Properties & Uses of Alloys
- An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals or metal with a non-metal such as carbon
- Alloys often have properties that can be very different from the metals they contain, for example, they can have more strength, hardness or resistance to corrosion or extreme temperatures
- These enhanced properties can make alloys more useful than pure metals
The regular arrangement of a metal lattice structure is distorted in alloys
Common alloys and their uses
- Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and is much stronger than either metal
- It is used in musical instruments, ornaments and door knobs
- Stainless steel is a mixture of iron and other elements, for example, chromium, nickel and carbon
- It is used in cutlery because of its hardness and resistance to corrosion
- Alloys of iron with tungsten are extremely hard and resistant to high temperatures
- Alloys of iron mixed with chromium or nickel are resistant to corrosion
- Aluminium is mixed with copper, manganese and silicon for aircraft body production as the alloy is stronger but still has a low density
Exam Tip
Alloys are mixtures of substances, they are not chemically combined and an alloy is not a compound.
Explaining the Properties of Alloys
EXTENDED
- Alloys contain atoms of different sizes, which distorts the normally regular arrangements of atoms in metals
- This makes it more difficult for the layers to slide over each other, so alloys are usually much harder than the pure metal
You've read 0 of your 0 free revision notes
Get unlimited access
to absolutely everything:
- Downloadable PDFs
- Unlimited Revision Notes
- Topic Questions
- Past Papers
- Model Answers
- Videos (Maths and Science)
Did this page help you?