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UPPCS Chemistry Gap Sheet: Metal Ores and Metallurgy.
UPPCS has asked 9 of these. 11 have not been asked yet. Lock the first list, then read the second: it holds what UPPCS has not used yet.
First, the concept
A mineral is a naturally occurring substance. An ore is a mineral deposit from which a metal can be extracted economically. The ore name alone does not tell you whether it is an oxide, sulphide or carbonate.
Extraction follows reactivity. Highly reactive metals usually need electrolysis. Less reactive metals can often be obtained by chemical reduction; sulphide ores are commonly roasted before reduction.
✅ Already asked (9)
Iron, aluminium and copper
- Hematite · Iron ore; Fe₂O₃.
- Magnetite · Iron ore; Fe₃O₄; strongly magnetic.
- Bauxite · Main aluminium ore; mixture rich in hydrated aluminium oxides.
- Copper pyrites · Chalcopyrite, CuFeS₂; copper ore.
Other metal ores
- Calamine · Traditional school name for zinc carbonate ore, ZnCO₃.
- Cinnabar · Mercury ore; HgS.
- Horn silver · Chlorargyrite, AgCl; silver mineral.
Extraction and protection
- Aluminium electrolysis · Alumina is dissolved in molten cryolite; cryolite lowers the working temperature.
- Galvanisation · Zinc coating protects iron from corrosion.
❌ Not asked yet (11)
Items marked 'asked in other exams' have come in UPSC or other state exams, not yet in UPPCS.
Iron, aluminium and copper
- Siderite · Iron carbonate ore; FeCO₃. asked in other exams
- Limonite · Iron ore material containing hydrated iron oxides; variable composition. asked in other exams
- Cuprite · Copper ore; Cu₂O. asked in other exams
- Malachite · Copper ore; Cu₂CO₃(OH)₂; green mineral.
Other metal ores
- Galena · Lead ore; PbS. asked in other exams
- Zinc blende · Sphalerite, ZnS; zinc ore.
- Cassiterite · Tin ore; SnO₂.
- Argentite · Silver sulphide ore; Ag₂S.
- Chromite · Chromium ore; FeCr₂O₄.
Extraction and protection
- Roasting · Heating ore in excess air; commonly used for sulphide ores. asked in other exams
- Calcination · Heating ore with little or no air; commonly removes water or CO₂. asked in other exams
⚠️ Cinnabar is a mercury ore, not copper; bauxite is a mixture, not one fixed-formula mineral.
'Asked' and 'not asked' are checked against every UPPCS question on this site. 'Not asked yet' does not mean it will surely come.