Some Applications of d- and f-Block Elements

The d- and f-block elements are not just of theoretical interest — many of them, and their compounds, are put to everyday industrial, domestic, and technological use.

Iron and Steel in Construction

Iron and its steels remain the most widely used construction materials. Making them starts with reducing iron ore (the oxides of iron) to the metal, then purifying it by removing impurities, and finally adding controlled amounts of carbon along with alloying metals such as Cr, Mn, and Ni to obtain the desired mechanical properties.

Compounds Made for Specific Purposes

Certain transition-metal compounds are manufactured specifically for niche industrial needs rather than for the metal itself:

• $\text{TiO}$ is produced for the pigment industry, where it serves as a white colouring agent.
• $\text{MnO}_2$ is manufactured for use inside dry battery cells.
• The battery industry additionally depends on a steady supply of zinc and nickel/cadmium.

Coinage Metals

Group 11 (Cu, Ag, Au) is traditionally called the "coinage metals" group, though the way this plays out today has changed:

Silver and gold are now largely reserved for collectible or commemorative coins rather than everyday currency.

Ordinary "copper" coins in circulation today (in the UK, for instance) are actually steel discs with a thin copper coating, not solid copper.

"Silver-coloured" coins are typically made from a copper–nickel alloy rather than real silver.

Transition Metals and Their Compounds as Industrial Catalysts

A large share of industrial chemistry depends on transition metals or their compounds acting as catalysts:

• $\text{V}_2\text{O}_5$ catalyses the oxidation of $\text{SO}_2$, a key step in the industrial manufacture of sulphuric acid.
• $\text{TiCl}_4$ combined with $\text{Al}(\text{CH}_3)_3$ forms the Ziegler catalyst system used to manufacture polyethylene (polythene).
• Iron catalysts drive the Haber process, which converts $\text{N}_2$ and $\text{H}_2$ mixtures into ammonia.
• Nickel catalysts allow the hydrogenation of fats to take place. …