What are Alloys?

• Metal Mixtures

• One Metal has varying amounts of other substances in with it

• Usually the other substances are metals, however sometimes non-metals are used

Alloys

• Alloys are NOT pure compounds but mixtures and although their properties depend on the metals in the mixture, they ARE different from those of pure metals.

• Example – Steel:

• Pure Iron is actually not very hard, but alloyed with less than 1% of carbon

Metal Model

In an alloy the foreign particles (in black) get in the way and stop the layer slipping. This means the metal does not bend as well.

Alloys

Name CompositionBrass Copper with up to 40%

Zinc

Bronze Copper with up to 5% Zinc

9 carat Gold 2/3 Copper 1/3 Gold

Silver coins Copper with 25% Nickel

Solder 2/3 Tin 1/3 Lead

Stainless Steel Iron with up to 30% Chromium and Nickel