Brass is commonly used to make musical instruments because it is easily malleable and has excellent acoustic properties. It consists of many copper atoms, with some replaced with zinc. What type of alloy is this?
A. Brazing
B. Substitutional
C. Interstitial
D. Iron
Frankly I never did much with alloys; however, I know interstitial means "in between" atoms while substitutional must be one atom replacing another; therefore, I go with B.
The correct type of alloy for brass is B. Substitutional. In brass, some of the copper atoms are replaced with zinc atoms, forming a solid solution. This substitution of atoms occurs at the crystal lattice sites of the metal, leading to the formation of an alloy.
The type of alloy described in this case, where some of the copper atoms are replaced with zinc, is a substitutional alloy. In this type of alloy, atoms of one element are substituted with atoms of another element in the metal lattice structure. So, the correct answer is B. Substitutional.
