The reactivity series ranks metals from most reactive (potassium) to least reactive (gold). Carbon sits roughly in the middle — below aluminium but above iron. This position is the key to extraction chemistry:
- Less reactive than carbon (e.g. iron, zinc, copper): can be extracted by carbon reduction — carbon 'steals' the oxygen from the metal oxide.
- More reactive than carbon (e.g. aluminium, sodium, calcium): carbon is not reactive enough to steal the oxygen. These metals must be extracted by electrolysis.
- Very unreactive metals (gold, platinum): found native (as the pure metal in rock), so no extraction needed.
This deep dive covers The Reactivity Series Decides the Method within Extracting Metals for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Extracting Metals in Chemical Changes for GCSE Chemistry with 6 exam-style questions and 6 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 2 of 14 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Extracting Metals
Which method is used to extract a metal that is MORE reactive than carbon?
Iron is extracted from haematite in a blast furnace. Describe how iron is obtained from iron oxide using carbon, and explain the term 'reduction' in this context.