On the scale in metres, indicate the upper and lower boundaries of the size range for nanoparticles.
One of the best-known nanoparticles is the ‘buckyball’, a spherical carbon molecule made up of 60 carbon atoms. It has been called the third allotrope of carbon. Diamond and graphite are two further allotropes of carbon. Suggest what is meant by the term allotrope.
Nanoparticles are used to deliver drugs within cells. Suggest what property of nanoparticles makes them suitable for this use. Explain your answer.
By what type of reaction is the copper found in the ore changed into copper metal?
One of the principal ores of copper contains the mineral chalcopyrite, $\text{CuFeS}_2$. Calculate the percentage of copper by mass in chalcopyrite.
If the ore contains $2\%$ of chalcopyrite by mass, calculate the mass of copper that can be obtained from each tonne of ore.
Some bacteria can remove copper from the ‘spoil’ heaps of copper ore that has already been mined. These bacteria are sprayed onto the spoil heaps in an aqueous solution, and the resulting solution containing iron(II) sulfate and copper(II) sulfate is gathered in tanks. Suggest how the copper could be recovered as metal.