Many metals are now purified in the search for new materials to meet the demands of technology When almost all impurities are removed from a metal, it usually exhibits unexpected properties.

The method used to extract the pure metal depends on its position ... Carbon is not reactive enough to take the oxygen away from the metal. For example, an electric current can be passed through ...

It is a pure metal, mined and then heated to separate ... sent to countries which have less strict laws about recycling. For example, in Ghana there have been reports of highly-toxic dumping ...