WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING METALS CANNOT BE EXTRACTED FROM ITS ORE BY USING CARBON (II) OXIDE AS THE REDUCING AGENT

• A. Cu
• B. Zn
• C. Al ✓
• D. Pb
• E. Fe

The answer to the question is: C. Al

The metal that cannot be extracted from its ore using carbon (II) oxide as the reducing agent is aluminum.

Aluminum is extracted from its ore, bauxite, through the Bayer process. In this process, bauxite is first crushed and ground, then mixed with a hot, concentrated solution of sodium hydroxide. This mixture is then filtered to remove impurities, leaving behind a solution of sodium aluminate. The sodium aluminate is then seeded with aluminum hydroxide crystals, which are precipitated out of the solution. These crystals are then heated to produce aluminum oxide, which is then electrolyzed to obtain pure aluminum metal.

The reason why carbon (II) oxide cannot be used as a reducing agent for aluminum extraction lies in the thermodynamics of the reactions involved. Aluminum has a high affinity for oxygen, and carbon (II) oxide is not strong enough to reduce aluminum oxide to aluminum metal at practical temperatures. Instead, electrolysis is used to extract aluminum from its ore due to the high energy requirements for this reduction reaction.