Aluminium is extracted from its ore by electrolysis - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry: Combined Science - Question 6 - 2019 - Paper 4
Question 6
Aluminium is extracted from its ore by electrolysis.
Which statement explains why aluminium can only be extracted by electrolysis?
A Aluminium is higher than carbo... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Aluminium is extracted from its ore by electrolysis - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry: Combined Science - Question 6 - 2019 - Paper 4
Step 1
A Aluminium is higher than carbon in the reactivity series.
96%
114 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
This statement correctly explains why aluminium can only be extracted by electrolysis. Aluminium is located higher than carbon in the reactivity series, meaning it cannot be extracted by reduction with carbon, which is only suitable for metals lower in the series. Therefore, electrolysis is necessary for the extraction of aluminium.
Step 2
B Aluminium is higher than iron in the reactivity series.
99%
104 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
While this statement is true, it does not specifically explain why aluminium requires electrolysis for extraction. Iron can be extracted using carbon, which cannot be said for aluminium.
Step 3
C Aluminium is lower than carbon in the reactivity series.
96%
101 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
This statement is incorrect as aluminium is actually higher than carbon in the reactivity series. Consequently, this option does not support the extraction of aluminium by electrolysis.
Step 4
D Aluminium is lower than sodium in the reactivity series.
98%
120 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
This statement is also incorrect since aluminium is higher than sodium in the reactivity series. Therefore, this option does not validly explain the necessity of electrolysis for aluminium extraction.
Join the GCSE students using SimpleStudy...
97% of Students
Report Improved Results
98% of Students
Recommend to friends
100,000+
Students Supported
1 Million+
Questions answered
Other GCSE Chemistry: Combined Science topics to explore
