Chemistry·Metals · NSSCO 9.4
Uses of metals & preventing rust
Narrated lesson · press play
Why copper for wires, aluminium for planes, steel for cars? Every metal's use matches its properties. Learn the uses of the key metals and their alloys, why aluminium and zinc seem unreactive, and the clever ways we stop iron from rusting — including sacrificial protection.
What you'll learn in this lesson
By the end you should be able to (NSSCO Chemistry 9.4):
- Explain that alloys are mixtures of metals and that the properties of metals can be changed to make them more useful
- Describe changing the properties of iron by controlled additives to form steel alloys
- Name uses of mild steel (car bodies, machinery) and stainless steel (chemical plant, cutlery)
- State uses of zinc (galvanising, brass), tin (tin-plating, bronze), copper (wiring, cooking utensils), aluminium (aircraft parts, food containers) and uranium (nuclear power/weapons)
- Describe methods of rust prevention: paint/coatings, galvanising, plating, sacrificial protection
- Account for the apparent unreactivity of aluminium and zinc in terms of the oxide layer
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