Materials from the Earth

Below are links for Topic 2:

Rocks and their Formation

Limestone and its Uses

Thermal Decomposition of Carbonates: PCA

Chemical Reactions

Reactions of Chemical Compounds

What you should know:

• 2.1 Be able to Be able to describe that igneous rocks, such as granite, are:
  • a) formed by the solidification of magma or lava
  • b) made of crystals whose size depends on the rate of cooling
• 2.2 Be able to describe chalk and limestone as examples of sedimentary rocks.
• 2.3 Be able to describe how sedimentary rocks are formed by the compaction of layers of sediment over a very long time period.
• 2.4 Know and understand that sedimentary rocks:
  • a) may contain fossils
  • b) are susceptible to erosion
• 2.5 Be able to describe marble as an example of a metamorphic rock.
• 2.6 Be able to describe the formation of metamorphic rocks by the action of heat and/or pressure, including the formation of marble from chalk or limestone.
• 2.7 Know and understand that limestone, chalk and marble exist in the Earth’s crust and that they are all natural forms of calcium carbonate.
• 2.8 Have an understanding of the balance between the demand for limestone and the economic, environmental and social effects of quarrying it.
• 2.9 Have an understanding of the commercial need for quarrying calcium carbonate on a large scale, as a raw material, for the formation of glass, cement and concrete.
• 2.10 Be able to describe the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.
• 2.11 Revise the investigation on the ease of thermal decomposition of carbonates, including calcium carbonate, zinc carbonate and copper carbonate.
• 2.12 Be able to describe the ease of thermal decomposition of different metal carbonates.
• 2.13 You should understand that:
  • a) atoms are the smallest particles of an element that can take part in chemical reactions
  • b) during chemical reactions, atoms are neither created nor destroyed
  • c) during chemical reactions, atoms are rearranged to make new products with different properties from the reactants
• 2.14 Be able to describe the effect of water on calcium oxide to form calcium hydroxide ('slaked lime')
• 2.15 Be able to describe how calcium hydroxide dissolves in water to form a solution, known as limewater.
• 2.16 You should know and understand that the total mass before and after a reaction in a sealed container is unchanged, as shown practically by a precipitation reaction (known as the 'Law of Conservation of Mass').
• 2.17 Be able to explain how calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide and calcium carbonate can be used to neutralise soil acidity.
• 2.18 Be able to explain how calcium carbonate can be used to remove acidic gases from coal-fired power station chimneys, reducing harmful emissions and helping to reduce acid rain.