Chemistry

Decomposition of aluminium

Made by: Danique Klomp and Karen Verlinde

Class: CA3G
 Table of contents

Question 1 page 2.
Question 2 page 3.
Question 3 page 4.
Question 4 page 4.
Question 5 page 5.
Question 6 page 6.
Question 7 page 6.
Question 8 page 7.
Question 9 page 8.

Question 1
 Out of what substance is aluminium extracted?

Aluminium is extracted from aluminium oxide. Aluminium oxide is found in

bauxite. Bauxite is won in mines in Australia, Guinea, Brazil and Suriname.
Bauxite is an iron ore, it consists of the minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)),
boemite (y-AlO(HO)) and diaspore (a-AlO(HO)). The production process has
three steps:
1 winning and purification of aluminium ore (bauxite).
2 winning aluminium from aluminium oxide by electrolysis.
3 The further processing of aluminium.
The first step is done in Suriname there the bauxite is won and purified.
Bauxite is purified by the Bayer process. The Bayer process purifies the
bauxite by first mixing it with a hot solution of sodium hydroxide. These
sodium hydroxide dissolves the oxides of aluminium and silicon, but the
some other impurities like iron oxide stays insoluble. This creates a
suspension with the particles of iron oxide. The iron oxide is removed by
filtration. Eventually after an couple of other steps you are left with
purified aluminium oxide. This is heated up to evaporate the water that is
mixed in the process.
Now we have purified aluminium oxide. This is mixed with molten cryolite
and then aluminium is extracted via electrolysis. After this you are left with
aluminium, this aluminium we can use for multiple end positions.
The aluminium ore bauxite. A bauxite mine.

Question 2
Which type of decomposition
reaction is used to produce
aluminium?
To produce aluminium the
decomposition reaction electrolysis is
used. Electrolysis is a decomposition
that uses the direct electric current. In school laboratory and on a small
scale we use the Hoffman voltameter. it exists of three tubes, one tube
with a basin on top of it and two tubes with a valve on top of it. In the two
smaller tubes, two little pallets of platina, a material that doesnt rust and
guides electricity. Inside of the basin the substance you want to
decompose is present. You let an electrical current pass through the
substance and on one side one decomposition product forms and on the
other side the other is formed. On the side of the minus terminal two times
more gas is formed. The apparatus of
Hoffman ^.
On a larger scale, like the production of aluminium, is the idea the same,
but the apparatus does not exist of three tubes. The apparatus does exist
out of one big basin. The decomposition products are not stored in the
tubes, but the end product which belongs to the plus terminal cling to the
piece of metal hanging inside it. The end products for the minus terminal
cling to the side of the basin. This happens because of the plus terminals
that are situated inside of the block that you can take out of it so the
aluminium that clings to the side of it. It is later scraped of and
transported to different places on the whole world.

The electrolysis process of aluminium.

Question 3
What type of electrodes are used to produce aluminium?
The type of electrodes used to produce aluminium are negative. The
electrodes are located in the side
of the electrolysis tank (as seen
on the past page). For the whole
electrolysis process there are also
positive electrodes used. Those
are hung in the middle of the tank
and here oxygen is formed. During
electrolysis of aluminium oxide,
the aluminium flacks are form on
the negative sides and those sink
to the bottom and are later
scarped of, on the positive side
oxygen is formed. Oxygen comes
in a gas form so that is lost during
the process.

Question 4
Why do these electrodes have to be replaced that often?
The electrodes need to be replaced, because they get damaged during the
process. The positive electrodes and the negative electrodes are both
made out of graphite or carbon. During electrolysis oxygen is formed on
the positive electrodes. The oxygen reacts with the carbon in the electrode
and this produces carbon dioxide. So the electrodes gradually fade away.
So only the positive thermals need to be replaced, because the aluminium
or the cryolite dont react with the carbon inside the electrodes.

Graphite. Schematic drawing of the

electrodes.

Question 5
What is alum earth?
alum earth is the same thing as aluminium oxide. One of the products that
is produced by the separation of bauxite. Aluminium oxide is make out of
the atoms aluminium and oxygen and the chemical formula is AlO. It is
commonly called alumina or aloxide. The properties of aluminium oxide
are electrical isolation (the electrical charges doesnt flow freely), it also
has a high conductivity and it dissolves in water.
Use
90% of the aluminium oxide we use for the production of aluminium. The
rest is used to make glass, the purification of gas streams, paint and
cosmetics. In cosmetics the aluminium oxides are painted with a metal
oxides, like titanium dioxide and iron oxide. These flacks give the shimmer
effect in eyeshadows and in some lip glosses. We use aluminium oxide
also in the healthcare as a hip replacement, because it doesnt rust and is
strong so it doesnt have to be replaced.
Aluminium oxide flakes.

Aluminium oxide.

Question 6
What is the balanced equation for the decomposition of
aluminium ore?

The balanced equation of aluminium ore is:

2AlO -> 4 Al + 3 O
Al. aluminium
O. oxygen

Question 7
Why should the aluminium oxide be heated before
electrolysis?
Aluminium oxide must be heated before electrolysis, because the
powdered form in which aluminium oxide occurs doesnt let electricity
pass though very easily. I other words through a powdered substance,
electricity wont travel easy enough for the production. So it is easier to
melt it first. Because of the high melting point of aluminium oxide (2000
C), we normally dissolve the aluminium oxide in molten cryolite. Cryolite is
used to reduce the amount of energy needed to melt aluminium, this
makes the process a lot cheaper and energy-friendly. If you dont heat
aluminium oxide up with cryolite, the process will cost more than twice
what is costs now.

Cryolite in its solid

form.

Question 8
When do we use aluminium in
daily life?
 uses for aluminium

buildings packaging
transportation making of machines

As seen on the graph 40% of all the aluminium we have is used in

buildings. The aluminium is commonly used in energy efficient buildings.
Aluminium based facades have functions like sun shading and producing
energy. We can make buildings of aluminium which can produce their own
energy. Building of
aluminium.
20% of the aluminium we use for packaging of
food and other things. From this 20%, half is
used for flexible packages, like food packages.
The other half is used to rigid packages, like
food cans and tubes. For most of flexible
packages a layer of plastic or paper is used
and a thin layer of aluminium.
For transportation 19% of the aluminium is used. Aluminium is light
weighted, if we used aluminium in our cars, our cars become almost 100
Kg lighter. 100 Kg saves us more than 800 litres of fuel. There are lots of
cars in the world, so making all cars of aluminium is the worlds largest
global saving.
In all of these uses, aluminium gets used, because it can be recycled. For
example, when a car isnt used anymore and its made out of aluminium.
We can package hundreds of kilograms of food or make a new car out of it.

Question 9
 The block diagram of the production of aluminium.

Bauxite

Purification of bauxite.
Bauxite is purified by the
Reactan
Bayer process. This is done
ts
in the same country as Waste ore
where it was mined.
Waste ore
are all the
substance
s that are
not
needed
for the
further
Decomposition of
productio
aluminium oxide.
n of
Waste This is done by electrolysis.
gas This process is done in the
By the
country where it was
decompositi
shipped to, after it was
on of
purified.
aluminium
oxide,
oxygen is
released .

Processing of the
aluminium.
the aluminium is made into Aluminium bars
bars of solid aluminium. or plates.
These bars are transported
to factories that make
buildings or other things of