eli5: if steel is made by mixing carbon and iron at high temp, what happens when you add carbon to other metals like brass, copper or gold? does it make “brass steel”?

Question

eli5: if steel is made by mixing carbon and iron at high temp, what happens when you add carbon to other metals like brass, copper or gold? does it make “brass steel”?

In: 276

Answer 1

You can make carbide alloy out of copper, brass and gold. It’s just that, iron’s property *benefits* by being mixed with carbon at very high temperature. Gold doesn’t rust. Why the need to make it a carbide?

Copper is often alloyed with other elements like tin to form bronze, or zinc to form brass, to enhance its properties. Carbon doesn’t enhance any of copper’s properties.