Sodium is a highly reactive s-block metal. Unlike iron, which is extracted in a blast furnace using carbon, sodium cannot be extracted by heating sodium oxide with carbon. Instead, it must be extracted by the electrolysis of its molten compounds.
Explain why carbon cannot be used to extract sodium from sodium oxide.
110 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Chemistry 5.1 Obtaining and using metals, covering 5.1.1 The reactivity series of metals, 5.1.2 Displacement reactions as redox reactions, 5.1.3 Extracting metals from ores by reduction, 5.1.4 Biological methods of metal extraction, 5.1.5 Resistance to oxidation and recycling metals, and 5.1.6 Life cycle assessment. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.