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This lesson covers the extraction of metals from their ores as required by the Edexcel GCSE Combined Science specification (1SC0). You need to understand the link between the reactivity series and extraction methods, reduction with carbon, electrolysis for reactive metals, and the importance of recycling metals.
Most metals are found in the Earth's crust as ores — rocks that contain enough metal or metal compound to make extraction worthwhile. Very unreactive metals like gold and platinum are found native (uncombined) because they do not react with other elements.
| Metal | Ore Name | Main Compound in Ore |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | Haematite | Iron(III) oxide, Fe₂O₃ |
| Aluminium | Bauxite | Aluminium oxide, Al₂O₃ |
| Copper | Malachite, chalcopyrite | Copper carbonate CuCO₃, copper iron sulfide CuFeS₂ |
| Zinc | Sphalerite | Zinc sulfide, ZnS |
| Tin | Cassiterite | Tin oxide, SnO₂ |
The position of a metal in the reactivity series determines how it is extracted from its ore:
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