Alloys
Metals mixed so evenly that they look the same.
Stainless steel
A stainless steel spoon looks the same everywhere. But it has iron, nickel, chromium and a little carbon.
Is stainless steel a mixture?
What this lesson covers
The idea
An alloy is a mixture of metals (sometimes with a little carbon) so uniform that it looks the same throughout: stainless steel (iron, nickel, chromium, carbon), brass (copper, zinc) and bronze (copper, tin).
Stainless steel
A stainless steel spoon looks the same everywhere. But it has iron, nickel, chromium and a little carbon.
Is stainless steel a mixture?
- Yes, a uniform mixture
- No, it is a pure element
- No, it is only iron
Three alloys
Open each tab.
Alloys
Mixtures of metals that are so uniform that they appear the same throughout are called alloys.
An alloy is a uniform mixture of metals (sometimes with a little carbon).
- Alloy | Made of
- Stainless steel | Iron, nickel, chromium, carbon
- Brass | Copper, zinc
- Bronze | Copper, tin
Notes
An alloy is a uniform mixture of metals: stainless steel, brass, bronze.
Check yourself
Brass is a mixture of …
Bronze is a mixture of …
A uniform mixture of metals is called …
Which one contains iron, nickel, chromium and a little carbon?
- copper and zinc — correct. Yes!
- copper and tin. Copper and tin make bronze.
- iron and carbon. Brass is copper and zinc.
- copper and zinc. Copper and zinc make brass.
- copper and tin — correct. Yes!
- iron and nickel. Bronze is copper and tin.
- an acid. A uniform mixture of metals is an alloy.
- a gas. Alloys are mixtures of metals.
- an alloy — correct. Yes!
- Stainless steel — correct. Yes!
- Brass. Brass has copper and zinc.
- Bronze. Bronze has copper and tin.