Introduction
Ores and Alloys is one of the most important topics in various competitive exams in India, primarily the General Science section of railways. An Alloy is a metallic substance made by combination of metal with other types of elements while an Ore is a natural source of mineral from which metals are extracted.
Ores and Alloys - Ores:
An ore is an occurrence of rock or sediment that contains sufficient minerals with economically important elements, typically metals, that can be economically extracted from the deposit.[1] The ores are extracted from the earth through mining; they are then refined (often via smelting) to extract the valuable element, or elements.
Ores and Alloys - Alloys
An alloy is a combination of metals or of a metal and another element. Alloys are defined by a metallic bonding character. An alloy may be a solid solution of metal elements (a single phase) or a mixture of metallic phases (two or more solutions).
Examples of Alloys are steel, solder, brass, pewter, duralumin, bronze and amalgams.
Examples of Ores are cinnabar (HgS), an ore of mercury, sphalerite (ZnS), an ore of zinc.
Ores
Ores and Alloys - List of Ores
| Metal | Ores |
|---|---|
| Aluminium (Al) | Bauxite, Corundum, felspar, Cryolite, Kaolin |
| Antimony (Sb) | Stibnite |
| Barium (Ba) | Barite, Witherite |
| Cadmium (Cd) | Greenockite |
| Calcium (Ca) | Chalk, Quicklime, Calcite, Dolomite, Gypsum, Asbestus |
| Chromium (Cr) | Chromite |
| Copper (Cu) | Malachite, Chalcocite, Chalcopyrite, Cuprite |
| Gold (Au) | Quartz, Calaverite, Silvenites |
| Iron (Fe) | Hematite, Magnetite, Lemonite, Copper pyrites |
| Lead (Pb) | Galena |
| Magnesium (Mg) | Magnesite, Dolomite, Epsom salt, Carnalite |
| Manganese (Mn) | Pyrolusite |
| Mercury (Hg) | Cinnabar |
| Potassium (K) | Carnalite, Sylvite, Potash |
| Silver (Ag) | Argentite |
| Sodium (Na) | Rock Salt, Trona, Borax |
| Strontium (Sr) | Strontianite, Silestine |
| Tin (Sn) | Cassiterite |
| Zinc (Zn) | Zincite, Ferulinite , Calamine |
| Uranium (U) | Uraninite |
| Tungsten (W) | Wolframite, Scheelite |
| Nickel (Ni) | Pentlandite, Milarite |
| Beryllium (Be) | Beryl |
Alloys
Ores and Alloys - List of Alloys
| Alloy | Components |
|---|---|
| Brass | Copper and Zinc |
| Bronze | Copper and Tin |
| Gun Metal | Copper, Zinc and Tin |
| German Silver | Copper, Zinc and Nickel |
| Duralumin | Aluminium, Copper, Magnesium and Manganese |
| Magnesium | Aluminium and Magnesium |
| Nickel Steel | Iron and Nickel |
| Stainless Steel | Iron, Chromium and Nickel |
| Electrum | Silver and Gold |
| Solder | Tin and Lead |
| Invar | Iron and Nickel |