Question

Metal gun present in gun metal are:
A) Cu, Zn, Ni
B) Cu, Sn and Zn
C) Cu, Sn
D) CU, Al

Answer 1

Hint: Gun metal is resistant to corrosion. It is also known as red brass and is typically a type of bronze. You must know that bronze and brass are alloys. Recall the metals which are used to make brass alloy and copper alloy.

Complete step by step solution:
Gun metal is used for making guns and is also known as red brass. Gun metals are resistant to corrosion that is caused by steam and salt water. That’s why their composition includes metals which provides resistance to corrosion. Usually, gun metal is a type of bronze which is an alloy of copper, tin and zinc. If we talk about the composition of bronze, then it is 88% copper, 8-10% tin and 2-4% zinc. Chemical symbol of copper is Cu, the chemical symbol of tin is Sn and the chemical symbol of zinc is Zn.

So, metals present in gun metal are Cu, Sn and Zn. Thus from the given options, option B is the correct answer.

Additional information: Since gun metals can withstand atmospheric steam and salt water corrosion, it is highly suitable for making pump parts, valves and steam fittings. It is also used for making gears and bearings that are subjected to heavy loads and low speeds.

Note: Brass is very similar to bronze. Both are the alloys consisting primarily of copper but the difference is brass is alloy of copper and zinc while bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Generally, lead can be added in composition of gun metals for the ease of machining or for bearing alloys.