For Kids: Basic Theory of Metal Compounds
Metals are elements that occur naturally throughout the earth's surface. All the elements on the periodic table are either metals or nonmetals. Most of the elements on the periodic table are metals, even though nonmetals are more abundant on earth. Metals share common characteristics in that they are mostly shiny, are malleable (easy to shape into other objects) and conduct electricity well.
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Metal Oxides
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Most metals do not occur naturally in the earth all by themselves. Usually they're mixed in with some other material, and together this matter is called "metal compounds." One type of these compounds is known as oxides. These oxides form a mixture of the aluminum and are found in substances called ore. For example, aluminum oxide is the main metal compound present in the ore known as bauxite.
Sulfides
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A sulfide is another type of metal compound. There are carbon sulfides, lead sulfides, zinc sulfides and many other metals combined together to form these compounds. Many metal-containing ores are sulfides -- for example, cinnabar contains mercury sulfide, and sphalerite contains zinc sulfide.
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Halides
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For halides, one part is the halogen atom and the other part is the metal -- such as silver chloride is a halide compound. An example of the use of a halide compound is in high-intensity discharge lamps known as halogen lamps.
Smelting
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The single metals are produced from their ore by a variety of methods known as smelting. For example, if pure aluminum is needed, the ore containing aluminum will be mined and transported to a big factory known as an aluminum smelter. It will then go through a complex process, where a large electric current will be passed through a molten mixture of aluminum's ore (bauxite) and a substance called cryolite. This separates the pure aluminum from all the other substances.
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References
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