Answer to Question #66419 in General Chemistry for Kalana Bamunusinghe

Question

Is aluminum likely to be a substitutional or interstitial impurity in copper?
Why?

Answer 1

Many grades of copper differ from each other in impurities in hundredths of a percent. This indicates a noticeable effect of small impurity contents on the basic physicomechanical properties of copper. By the nature of the interaction with copper, all the impurities can be divided into several groups. Aluminum refers to the first group of impurities that are soluble in solid copper. With a small content characteristic of a metal of technical purity, this element has little effect on the properties of copper, although to some extent it reduces the electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. It should be concluded from this that aluminum can be a impurity, but not in large quantities. A substitute for copper, aluminum can not act, because for these substances are characterized by different physical properties.