A rock that contains enough metal to make it economicallyworthwhile to extract.
Which metals use electrolysis to be extracted from their ore.
Potassium
Sodium
Lithium
Calcium
Magnesium
Aluminium
Carbon
Which metals use carbon to be extracted from their ore?
Zinc
Iron
Hydrogen
Copper
Silver
Gold
Which metals can use hydrogen to be extracted from their ore?
Copper
Silver
Gold
To extract a metal from its ore as cheaply as possible, the two most important factors are:
The cost of energy used in the process.
The cost of the reducing agent.
For metals up to zinc in the reactivity series, what is the cheapest method of extraction?
To heat the metal with carbon or carbon monoxide.
Metals above zinc in the reactivity series are usually produced by the much more expensive process of electrolysis which uses vast quantities of electricity.
