Question

Goldschmidt thermite process is used in the extraction of aluminium.
A. True
B. False

Answer 1

An ore is a natural sediment or rock which consists of one or more than one mineral, specifically metals which can be extracted economically. The process of extracting metals from their ores and then refining it to form pure metal is known as metallurgy. Different metals have different methods of extraction.

Complete answer: Goldschmidt thermite process:
It is a process which involves reduction of the oxides which cannot easily be reduced by carbon atoms. In this process, ores of metallic oxides are mixed with aluminium powder generally known as thermite and then placed in a steel crucible which is lined inside a refractory material and finally, ignited by a magnesium ribbon. With the help of this process, metals like chromium and magnesium are extracted in a highly pure state on a commercial scale.
The reactions involved in the extraction of metals in Goldschmidt reactions are as follows:
Extraction of iron:
$2Al(s) + F{e_2}{O_3} \to A{l_2}{O_3}(s) + 2Fe(s)$
Extraction of manganese:
$8Al(s) + 3M{n_3}{O_4} \to 4A{l_2}{O_3}(s) + 9Mn(s)$
Extraction of chromium:
$2Al(s) + C{r_2}{O_3} \to A{l_2}{O_3}(s) + 2Cr(s)$
Hence, aluminium metal is not extracted by Goldschmidt thermite process. Therefore, the given statement is incorrect.
So, option (B) is the correct answer.

Note:
It is important to note that aluminium metal is extracted from its ore called bauxite whose chemical formula is $A{l_2}{O_3}$ by a process known as electrolysis. During the process, positively charged aluminium ions form molten aluminium by gaining electrons from cathode while oxygen molecules are formed when oxide ions lose electrons at the anode. The chemical reaction involved in the process of extraction of aluminium is $A{l_2}{O_3}\xrightarrow{{{\text{electrolysis}}}}2Al + 3{O^{2 - }}$.