aluminium could be used to produce iron from rust how does it do this?

Answer 1

This is the thermit reaction.

2Al(s) + Fe2O3(s) ===> Al2O3(s) + 2Fe(liquid!)

You mix powdered Fe2O3 and Al in a clay crucible. The crucible has a hole in the bottom. You stick a piece of magnesium ribbon in the top of the powder as a fuse, and you light it. The intense heat of the Mg ignites the mixture, the reaction forms molten iron, which flows out the hole in the bottom.

When street cars ran on the streets of Cambridge, students of MIT would stop the tram and ask the driver questions. During that time, other students would set up a clay crucible by a rear wheel and set off a thermit reaction. When it was over, the driver couldn't move the street car, because the wheel was welded to the track.

Answer 2

This would be the "thermite" reaction.

Fe2O3 + Al -> Al2O3 + Fe

Mixing the rust with aluminum shavings and igniting it with a propane toarch produces a spectacular shower of sparks and generates a small blob of liquid iron. The reaction is impossible to stop once it is started and is usually preformed in a bucket of sand. Thermite bombs are also popular arson devices used by spies. The reaction starts by igniting a fuse made of pure magnesium metal. Thermite is also used to weld cracks in railroad tracks.

What drives the reaction is the fact pure aluminum is much more reactive than iron. It does not rust because it coats itself in a thin film of aluminum oxide. This prevents any further reaction. When iron forms an oxide, the rust flakes off the surface, exposing the iron to further corrosion. Aluminum will eventually turn into an oxide power and hundreds of years ago, this was its primary form. Aluminum refining was discovered only about 100 years ago. Before this time, pure Aluminum metal was very rare and in fact was more expensive than Gold.

Answer 3

Do you mean protect iron from rust?

It does this because aluminium prevents the oxygen - which causes iron to rust - from reaching the iron. It's like laminating the iron with an aluminium protective coating.

Answer 4

the alu has a galvinized coating on it...this prevents the rusting...it the same a shingle nail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust