Question

Name the two metals that occur in a Free State nature. What is the method of refining them?

Answer 1

Hint: A metal is a material that when freshly prepared shows lustrous appearance, they can be beaten to form sheets and they can be converted to form wires or we can say they are malleable and ductile. They can conduct electricity as they have free electrons.

Complete Step by step answer: Metals when burnt in air for metal oxides
Metal + oxygen → metal oxide
For example copper forms copper(II) oxide, and aluminium from aluminium oxide
Metals react differently with water, some metals do not even react with water. Like sodium and potassium reacts vigorously with water, their reaction with cold water is violent and highly exothermic. The reaction of calcium is less violent. On the other hand, magnesium reacts with hot water. Metals like aluminum, iron and zinc do not react with cold and hot water; they react with steam to form metal oxide and hydrogen gas.
Some metals like lead, copper, silver and gold don’t even react with water.
So, on the basis of reactivity of metal, metals can be arranged in order of their decreasing activities.
On the basis of displacement reactions of metals with other metal salts, a reactivity series has been developed. In which some metals are highly reactive some are moderately reactive and some are least reactive.
K > Na> Ca> Mg> Al> Zn> Fe> Pb> H> Cu> Hg> Ag> Au
Since copper, gold, silver, platinum are least reactive. They can be found in a free state.
Gold and platinum are the two metals which are not found in a combined state. They can be found in a free state. They only need to be cleaned by physical methods.

Note: Copper and silver can be found in combined states even though they are least reactive. They can be found in their sulphide and oxide ores. The metal at the top of the reactivity series like Na, K, Ca, Mg are so reactive that they are never found in nature as free elements.