How do alloys differ from pure metals?
1 Answer
Apr 30, 2018
Pure metals are elements made of all one type of atom
Alloys are mixtures made of more than one element or type of atom.
Explanation:
Pure metals are made of only one type of atom and therefore are elements. The metallic bonding is uniform throughout the metal
Alloys are made of several types of metallic atoms. This makes alloys mixtures. The metallic bonding is not uniform throughout the metal alloy. This makes the alloy stronger and different than pure metals.
An example is steel. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon and other atoms such as chromium. The carbon makes the steel stronger and more flexible than pure iron. Chromium makes steel more resistant to corrosion than pure iron forming stainless steel.
