making metals
We think that stone age / bronze age man discovered iron by accident . Man must have used fire and probably had a firepit which was used every day. Over time charcoal ( which is mainly carbon) would have built up.
Ancient man probably used rocks to contain his firepit. It seems possible that some of these rocks were iron bearing rocks. Over time we imagine that the charcoal and iron mixed. With repeated heating together charcoal would reduce the ( iron oxide) to iron and so the smelting process was discovered.
Any old iron?
Drawbacks of iron as a material for making things:
- it rusts!!
- it is relatively dense
Advantages of iron
- easy extraction makes it relatively cheap
- iron is quite hard and therefore can be used for blades
- iron is very strong
Rust can be prevented by sacrificial protection where a more reactive metal is put in contact with the iron. The more reactive metal corrodes and protects the iron.
A blast from the past
2. Carbon dioxide and carbon
carbon dioxide and carbon combine to make carbon monoxide
3. Limestone (calcium carbonate) is heated
calcium carbonate decomposes to produce calcium oxide and carbon dioxide
5. Carbon monoxide reduces iron oxide too
Iron oxide + carbon monoxide = carbon dioxide + iron
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