In Lecture 2 of Part 4 we begin to look at the industrial applications of chemistry, and more specifically how we extract metals from their ores. The method of extraction depends upon the position of metals in what we call the reactivity series. Metals high in the reactivity series will require a lot of energy to extract them from their ores, and electrolysis is often used. Metals in the middle of the reactivity series can normally be extracted by heating with carbon. Metals at the bottom of the reactivity series are usually found uncombined with other elements.

00:00  The Reactivity Series

07:06  The extraction of aluminium

11:57  The extraction of iron

15:40  Properties and uses of aluminium and iron

In Lecture 3 of Part 4 we look at the chemistry of crude oil. We begin by looking at oil formation, millions of years ago, and how we extract it from the ground. Crude oil is a very thick, viscous liquid made up of many different fractions that are separated by fractional distillation. Further refinement of the products involves cracking to produce fractions with the required molecular weights. But the products of crude oil can be polluting, particularly when they burn, and in the last part of the lecture we look at how fuels used in cars contribute to air pollution.

00:25  Crude Oil

02:45  Fractional distillation of crude oil

07:35  Cracking hydrocarbons

10:43  When fuels burn

13:50  Cars and air pollution

Lecture 4 of Part 4 follows on neatly from the previous section. We have already looked at how many products can be derived from crude oil. Plastics are very important products, and many are formed by the joining together of hydrocarbon chains. This is what we mean by the term 'polymerization' and here we look at both kinds - addition polymerization and condensation polymerization.

00:32  Monomers

01:33  Addition polymerization

06:20  Condensation polymerization

The last content lecture of Part 4 wraps up with a description of some very important industrial processes. We start with what is arguably the most important - the Haber Process, used to produce ammonia from the atmospheric gases nitrogen and hydrogen. We then progress to look at the industrial production of sulphuric acid - known as the Contact Process. Our final section describes the industrial manufacture of sodium hydroxide and chlorine.

00:00  Introduction

00:45  Ammonia (the Haber Process)

08:10  Sulphuric Acid (the Contact Process)

12:13  Sodium hydroxide and Chlorine