The oxides of metals low in the activity series are typically reduced to metals by heating alone. This process involves heating the metal oxide in the absence of air, causing the oxygen to be removed from the oxide and leaving behind the pure metal.
How are the oxides of metals low in the activity series typically reduced to metals?
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Metals low in the activity series, such as copper, lead, and silver, are typically reduced from their oxides using carbon as a reducing agent in a process called smelting. Here’s how it works:
1. Ore preparation: The metal oxide ore is first crushed and concentrated to remove impurities.
2. Smelting: The concentrated ore is mixed with carbon (usually in the form of coke) and heated in a furnace. The carbon acts as a reducing agent, reacting with oxygen in the metal oxide to form carbon dioxide, while reducing the metal oxide to its elemental form:
Metal oxide+Carbon→Metal+Carbon dioxide
3. Collection of the metal: The molten metal sinks to the bottom of the furnace due to its higher density and is collected.
This process is effective for reducing metal oxides to their elemental forms and is commonly used in the extraction of metals such as copper, lead, and silver from their respective ores.