Question

German Silver is an alloy of:
A. Fe,Cr,Ni
B. Ag,Cu,Au
C. Cu,Zn,Ni
D. Cu,Zn,Sn

Answer 1

Hint: The German silver is also known as “Nickel silver”. Hence, nickel will be one of the elements.

Complete answer:
Firstly, let us discuss the alloys.
An Alloy is a combination of metals or metals combined with one or more than one element. For e.g., The combination of gold and copper in fixed percentages produces red gold.
Now, Nickel Silver or German Silver is a copper alloy with nickel and Zinc. The usual composition is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. The alloy is also called Nickel silver because of silvery appearance, but the alloy doesn’t contain silver.
Some uses of this alloy are:
1) It is used as a base metal for silver- plated cutlery and silverware.
2) It is used in zippers, costume jewellery.
3) It is used in making musical instruments (e.g., flutes).
4) It is used in making coins (e.g., Portuguese coins).
5) Early in the 20th century, German silver was used by automobile manufacturers.
This alloy is toxic in nature. Prolonged contact of this alloy with food items and beverages can leach out the copper and cause toxicity. This is the reason that many people have allergic reactions to nickel.

So, the correct answer is (C).

Note: The most common mistake a student can make in this question is:
1) One can get confused by the name of the alloy as the name comprises the word ‘silver’ and the student can mistakenly think that silver is one of the elements in the alloy.