Metal Extraction: Ellingham Diagrams, Electrolytic Reduction and Sustainability
Students will learn about how metals are obtained from their ores, focusing on simple methods like heating with carbon or electrolysis for different reactivities.
Key Questions
- Use the Ellingham diagram to determine at what temperature carbon becomes a thermodynamically viable reductant for a given metal oxide, explaining how the gradient of each line reflects the standard entropy change of the oxidation reaction.
- Justify the use of electrolysis rather than carbon reduction for aluminium extraction from Al₂O₃ by applying ΔG° = −nFE°, and analyse why the Bayer–Hall–Héroult process requires cryolite as a flux.
- Evaluate the lifecycle energy and carbon footprint of primary aluminium smelting versus recycled aluminium production, explaining the chemical basis for the approximately 95% energy saving achieved through recycling.
MOE Syllabus Outcomes
Suggested Methodologies
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