Gold has been used by humans for thousands of years and is found as the native metal in the Earth's crust. In contrast, titanium is a relatively recently developed metal that must be extracted from its ore. Explain why gold has been used by humans for much longer than titanium, and describe one reason why titanium is now considered a more useful structural material than gold despite being harder to extract.
Written & reviewed by James Millett — Biology (Imperial College London), PGCE Science (University of Cambridge).
Gold has been used by humans for thousands of years and is found as the native metal in the Earth's crust. Titanium is a relatively recently developed metal that must be extracted from its ore using a complex industrial process.
Model answer (5 marks)
Gold is found as the native metal in the Earth's crust, so it can be obtained by simple crushing and smelting.
Gold is unreactive (low in the reactivity series) and therefore does not combine with other elements, remaining as a free metal.
Titanium is found only in ores such as TiO₂, so it must be extracted chemically.
Titanium is more reactive and must be reduced from its oxide, requiring complex, energy‑intensive processes.
Titanium has a higher strength‑to‑weight ratio than gold, making it a more useful structural material despite the harder extraction.
Gold is unreactive (low in the reactivity series) and therefore does not combine with other elements, remaining as a free metal.
Titanium is found only in ores such as TiO₂, so it must be extracted chemically.
Titanium is more reactive and must be reduced from its oxide, requiring complex, energy‑intensive processes.
Titanium has a higher strength‑to‑weight ratio than gold, making it a more useful structural material despite the harder extraction.
Examiner tips
- Use the command word ‘Explain’ – give reasons and describe one advantage. Mention native metal vs ore and reactivity. Include the strength‑to‑weight ratio as the key advantage. Keep each point brief and to the point.
Common mistakes
- Confusing gold’s reactivity with its extraction method. Forgetting to state that titanium is extracted from an oxide ore. Over‑elaborating on the extraction process instead of focusing on the advantage.
Mark scheme (5 marks)
- Gold is found as the native/uncombined metal (in the Earth's crust), so it does not need to be extracted chemically
- Gold is unreactive / low in the reactivity series, so it does not react with other elements and remains as the metal naturally
- Titanium must be extracted from its ore (e.g. titanium dioxide) because it is more reactive and combined with other elements, requiring complex/expensive chemical processes
- The development of new extraction techniques / technology allowed titanium to be obtained (only in the modern era)
- Titanium has a higher strength-to-weight ratio / is stronger relative to its mass / is lighter than gold for the same strength, making it more useful as a structural material
Key terms in this question
Related
- All OCR A-Level Chemistry B: Salters (H433) revision notes →
- How to answer a "Explain" question →
- Decode the mark scheme abbreviations →
More Developing metals questions
- Aluminium is one of the most widely used metals in the world, found in products …
- Titanium is a metal used in aircraft engines and medical implants. It is found i…
- Iron is extracted from iron ore in a blast furnace. However, pure iron is rarely…
- Copper is an important metal used in electrical wiring. Most copper is extracted…