Alloys (OCR GCSE Chemistry A (Gateway))

Alloys

• An alloy is a mixture of metals

• Brass is a common example of an alloy which contains 70% copper and 30% zinc

• Alloys are also an example of a formulation

• A formulation is a mixture that has been designed as a useful product 

• Formulations are complex mixtures that are made by following an exact recipe

• Other examples of formulations include paint, medicines and food

• Every part of the formulation is present in carefully measured quantities so that each component provides the required properties

• Most metals are too soft to use on their own and are mixed with other elements to make them stronger and harder

• Alloys contain atoms of different sizes, which distorts the regular arrangements of atoms

• This makes it more difficult for the layers to slide over each other, so they are usually much harder than the pure metal

Particle diagram showing a mixture of elements in an alloy. The different sizes of the two types of atoms prevent the layers of atoms from sliding over each other, so the alloy becomes less malleable than the pure metal