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8.
Uses of metals
Metals are absolutely indispensable to all living beings. Metals are present in minute quantities in all living organisms. Na
and K are major metals that that are used for transmission of electrical
signals from the brain to the entire nervous system. Iron is an important
component of hemoglobin in the blood of warm-blooded animals. Iron
transports oxygen to issues by forming oxides. In cold-blooded animals,
blood contains copper. Chlorophyll in plants contains magnesium.
Other metals like copper, zinc etc. are needed by different tissues in a
human body for functioning properly.
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addition to the use of metals for living organisms, metals are used
extensively by humans. Applications of metals for useful purposes can be
categorized as follows:
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- Metals are used in the pure form
- Metals are used in the form of compounds of two or more metals. (These compounds are called alloys).
- Metals are used in the form of metal salts
Some
of the uses of metals in pure form can be listed as follows :
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1. Cu, Al pure metals in the form of wires are used for carrying electrical currents. This is used everywhere in industries as well as in homes.
2. Fe, Al, Cu metals are used to make utensils used for cooking. These are also used to make useful equipments for factories.
3. Fe is used extensively for making magnets, which has extensive uses in making transformer cores, etc.
4. Zn is used for galvanizing iron to protect Fe from rusting.
5. Cr and Ni are used for electroplating equipments.
6. Fe, Cr, Ni are used to make various types of stainless steel.
7. Metals such as Al, Cu in a foil form are used for packaging materials.
8. Ag, Au and Pt are used to make jewellery. They are also used for plating items for decorative purposes.
9. Thin foils of Ag and Au are used to decorate food items.
10. Hg is used in thermometers.
11. Almost all metals including Zr, Ti find wide applications in atomic and space programmes and experiments.
12. Ti finds extensive use in aircraft industries.
13. Al finds extensive use in space and auto industries.
14. Pure metals, which display zero resistance to electrical currents, are called superconductors. Hg, Nb are examples of superconductors. They become superconductors below a critical temperature of 4.2 and 9.2 K respectively. Superconductors have many applications in research and industry.
The
list is endless but the above list gives you a brief idea about the use of
pure metals.
Some
of the uses of metal alloys can be listed as follows :
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1. Largest use of alloys in industries is in the form of steel. Steel is made from a varying proportion of Fe, Ni, Cr and C. Sometimes some other metals and non-metals are also added.
2. Alloys of Al are made by adding Mg, Mn. They are used in aircraft industries, auto industries, in making utensils.
3. Alloys of copper such as bronze, brass and German silver are made from combining Cu with Ni, Zn, Sn etc. They find wide applications in decorative items, and are used for coating so as to enhance the life of the items.
The list can be long but
the above list gives you a brief idea about the use of metal alloys. We will
discuss more about the metal alloys in the next section.
Some
of the uses of compounds of metal salts can be listed as follows :
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1. NaCl, KCl are widely used as salts for consumption by human beings.
2. Na compounds are used for making soaps, washing soda and detergents.
3. Na bicarbonate is used for baking, in medicines, etc.
4. Ca compounds are used for making cement, bleaching powders, plaster
of Paris, etc.
5. Many metal compounds find use in different medicines for healing
purposes.
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The
list can be long but the above list gives you a brief idea about the use of
metal salts. We will discuss more about the metal salts in the next section.
Non-metal element like phosphorus is an important element for a living
being. Phosphorous compounds convert energy stored in food into energy
required by cell for performing different tasks and for surviving.
Phosphorous is also an important element in the DNA and RNA in cells.
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