2. Extraction of metals What is an ore deposit? Most metals react with other elements to form ores which occur naturally on earth. An ore is a rock from which useful metals can be extracted.
3. Extraction of metals Figure: Stages involved in extracting metal from their ores.
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6. What about Aluminium? Extraction of bauxite: Negative terminal: A l 3+ (l) + 3e A l (l) Positive terminal: O 2- (l) O 2 (g) + 4e Overall process: 2 A l 2 O 3 4 A l (l) + 3O 2 (g)
7. Why recycle metals? Metals are finite resources. In other words, the amounts of the various metals in the earth are limited. Figure shows how long it will take for the reserves of common metals to run out.
