Metal Ores
- The Earth’s crust contains metals and metal compounds such as gold, copper, iron oxide and aluminium oxide
Pie chart to show the abundance of different elements in the Earth's crust
Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust. It is a reactive metal so will form compounds with other elements
- Useful metals are often chemically combined with other substances forming ores
- A metal ore is a rock that contains enough of the metal to make it worthwhile extracting
- They have to be extracted from their ores through processes such as electrolysis, using a blast furnace or by reacting with a more reactive material
- In many cases, the ore is an oxide of the metal, therefore the extraction of these metals is a reduction process since oxygen is being removed
Table of Common Metal Ores
| Name of Ore | Metal Compound | Formula of metal compound in ore |
| Haematite | Iron oxide | Fe2O3 |
| Bauxite | Aluminium oxide | Al2O3 |
| Rock salt |
Sodium chloride |
NaCl |
| Rutile |
Titanium dioxide |
TiO2 |
