DK - WOW! The Visual Encyclopedia of Everything

171

Cassiterite

(tin ore)

Bauxite

(aluminium ore)

Tin can

Stainless steel hip replacement

Mercury thermometer

A deep-sea Aluminium baking foil

submersible

Galvanized

chain

◀ NICKEL

Rarely used on its own,

nickel is often alloyed with iron

to make stainless steel. This is used

for all kinds of applications, from

knives and forks to replacement hip

joints. Nickel is also alloyed

with silver to make coins.

MERCURY ▼

The only metal that is liquid at room

temperature, mercury is most familiar

as the silvery contents of a medical

thermometer. Its ore, cinnabar,

is a colourful compound

of mercury and

sulfur found

near volcanoes.

TITANIUM ▶

Light yet very strong, titanium is

often combined with other metals

to make lightweight alloys used in

aircraft, spacecraft, and the pressure-

proof capsules of deep-sea submersibles.

One of its main ores is rutile, a

compound of titanium and oxygen.

▲ IRON

The most useful of all

metals, iron is strong,

abundant, and easy to work

with, especially when refined

into various types of steel. Its

main ore is hematite, an iron

oxide – the same thing as rust.

ALUMINIUM ▶

Abundant and

resistant to corrosion,

lightweight aluminium is

widely used for foil, cans, and in

aircraft. Its ore, bauxite, is a rock that

contains many aluminium compounds.

TIN ▲

Well known for its use in tin cans – which

are actually tin-plated steel – tin is widely

used in electronic components because of

its high electrical conductivity. It is also

alloyed with lead to make the solder used

to assemble electronic circuits.

ZINC ▶

Zinc is a white metal that is

alloyed with copper to make

brass. Its main use, however,

is plating or “galvanizing”

steel to make it rust-

proof. Its main ore is

sphalerite, a sparkling

mineral that is a

compound of zinc,

iron, and sulfur.

Sphalerite

(zinc ore)

Steel nuts and bolts

Cinn

abar (mercury^ or

e)

Rutile

(titaniu

m^

or

e)

Hematite

(iron ore)

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