Metal Ore - GCSE Chemistry Definition

A metal ore is a type of rock that contains enough of a metal compound to make it economically worthwhile to extract the metal. In the Earth’s crust, metals are usually found combined with other elements, but in metal ores, the metal is concentrated enough to be valuable.

Examples of metal ores include:

• Bauxite (contains aluminium)

• Haematite (contains iron)

Metals are extracted from ores using methods such as heating with carbon or electrolysis, depending on the metal’s reactivity. Understanding metal ores is important in GCSE Chemistry for learning how raw materials are turned into useful products like cars, buildings, and electronics.