Answer to Question #144094 in General Chemistry for Brenda

Question

Explain why carbon is used in extraction of metals.

Answer 1

Usually metals are found in nature in the form of oxides. To obtain pure metals, oxygen should be removed and the metals should be reduced. So, carbon, which combines with oxygen during redox reaction, may be used. The general scheme of the reaction of extraction of the two-charged metal may be represented as: 2MeO + C = 2Me + CO2