Lesson 5 of 6
Extracting metals
Goal: Explain how carbon is used to extract metals.
Most metals are found in rocks as compounds. How you get the metal out depends on its place in the reactivity series.
iron oxide + carbon → iron + carbon dioxide
- Below carbon: heat the ore with carbon. Carbon is more reactive than zinc, iron, lead and copper, so it displaces them from their oxides. The metal oxide loses its oxygen. This is called reduction.
- Above carbon: use electricity. Carbon cannot displace aluminium or the metals above it. Electrolysis splits the compound instead. It uses a lot of electricity, so it costs more.
- Gold needs no reaction. It is so unreactive that it is found as the metal itself.
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Key words in this lesson
Oxide A compound of an element with oxygen
Reactivity How readily a substance reacts
Reactivity series A list of metals in order of how reactive they are
Unreactive Hardly ever takes part in chemical reactions
Ore A rock with enough metal compound in it to be worth extracting the metal
Reduction A reaction in which a substance loses oxygen
Electrolysis Using electricity to split a compound into its elements