Titanium is extracted from titanium(IV) oxide (TiO2\text{TiO}_2TiO2) in a multi-step process. In the final stage, titanium(IV) chloride is reduced using magnesium at a temperature of about 1000 K:
TiCl4(g)+2Mg(l)→Ti(s)+2MgCl2(l) \text{TiCl}_4(\text{g}) + 2\text{Mg}(\text{l}) \rightarrow \text{Ti}(\text{s}) + 2\text{MgCl}_2(\text{l}) TiCl4(g)+2Mg(l)→Ti(s)+2MgCl2(l)Which statement correctly explains why this specific process is used, or describes a key chemical detail of the reaction?
The reduction of TiCl4\text{TiCl}_4TiCl4 with magnesium is run as a continuous process to keep energy and labor costs low.
Magnesium acts as an oxidising agent in this reaction, gaining electrons to form Mg2+\text{Mg}^{2+}Mg2+ ions.
Direct reduction of TiO2\text{TiO}_2TiO2 with carbon is avoided because titanium carbide (TiC\text{TiC}TiC) is formed, which makes the metal extremely brittle.
The reaction is conducted under a nitrogen atmosphere to prevent the reactants from being oxidised by air.
Practise Edexcel GCSE Chemistry Obtaining and using metals with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 100 questions, matched to the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.