Why does aluminium Cannot be reduced by carbon?

Because aluminium has greater affinity for oxygen than for carbon, therefore carbon cannot reduce alumina (Al2O3) to aluminium.

Can aluminium be heated with carbon?

Explanation: aluminium is more reactive than carbon. aluminium is more reactive (higher in the reactivity series) than carbon. it will not be displaced by carbon, meaning that there will be no change in the substances made if aluminium oxide and carbon are heated together.

Why can’t aluminium be extracted using a blast furnace?

Aluminium is quite reactive, so can’t be extracted using a blast furnace or similar. The extraction of aluminium from its ore is expensive and not very easy, but because it’s light and alloys easily, Al is so valuable that it’s worth the effort.

Why aluminium is extracted from the electrolysis of its molten ore but not heating the ore alone?

The extraction is done by electrolysis. The ions in the aluminium oxide must be free to move so that electricity can pass through it. Aluminium oxide has a very high melting point (over 2000°C) so it would be expensive to melt it. Aluminium oxide does not dissolve in water, but it does dissolve in molten cryolite.

Why aluminium does not occur in native state?

Aluminium is a very reactive metal so in the ground it always combines with other metals or substances to form its compound and hence is not found in its native state…..

Why cryolite is used in the extraction of aluminium?

The use of molten cryolite as a solvent reduces some of the energy costs involved in extracting aluminium by allowing the ions in aluminium oxide to move freely at a lower temperature.

Why can some metals not be extracted by heating with carbon?

This is called a blast furnace. Very reactive metals are strongly bonded in their ores and cannot be extracted using carbon/carbon monoxide. More energy is needed and this is provided by electrolysis.

Why can some metals be extracted by heating with carbon?

If a metal is less reactive than carbon, it can be extracted from its oxide by heating with carbon. The carbon displaces the metal from the compound, and removes the oxygen from the oxide.

Can carbon be used to extract aluminium from its ore?

Aluminium is too high in the electrochemical series (reactivity series) to extract it from its ore using carbon reduction. The temperatures needed are too high to be economic. Instead, it is extracted by electrolysis. The aluminium oxide has too high a melting point to electrolyse on its own.

Why is carbon monoxide formed higher in the blast furnace?

The Blast Furnace is a large steel structure about 30 metres high. The hot air blast to the furnace burns the coke and maintains the very high temperatures that are needed to reduce the ore to iron. The reaction between air and the fuel generates carbon monoxide. This gas reducesthe iron (III) oxide in the ore to iron.

Why is aluminium oxide dissolved in molten cryolite in the extraction of aluminium?

Instead, it is dissolved in molten cryolite – an aluminium compound with a lower melting point than aluminium oxide. The use of molten cryolite as a solvent reduces some of the energy costs involved in extracting aluminium by allowing the ions in aluminium oxide to move freely at a lower temperature.

Why does aluminum not corrode like iron?

Aluminium does not rust (corrode) because its surface is protected by a natural layer of aluminium oxide. This prevents the metal below from coming into contact with air (containing oxygen). Unlike rust, which can flake off the surface of iron and steel objects, the layer of aluminium oxide does not flake off.