Question

Why the reduction process is always involved in the extraction of metals?

Answer 1

• Metals are always available in nature in the form of ores in which the metal remains as a cation. Extraction of the metal from the ore is to get the metal in its elemental state. For this purpose, any metal compound is always required to be reduced.
• Explanation: A metal in the combined state has positive valency and a positive ion gets converted into an atom or metal with the addition of an electron(s). Thus, by definition, it is a reduction process.