Which of the following metals cannot extracted from its ore by using carbon (ll) oxide as the reducing agent?
Answer Details
Aluminum (Al) is the metal that cannot be extracted from its ore using carbon (II) oxide as the reducing agent. This is because aluminum is more reactive than carbon and thus cannot be reduced by it.
To extract aluminum from its ore, electrolysis is used instead, where the aluminum oxide is dissolved in molten cryolite and a direct current is passed through it, causing the aluminum to be deposited at the cathode.
On the other hand, metals like copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), and iron (Fe) can be extracted from their ores using carbon (II) oxide as the reducing agent because they are less reactive than aluminum and can be reduced by carbon.