Which metal serves as a reducing agent in smelting______?
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Answer: A. C
Explanation
Carbon in the form of coke is commonly used as a reducing agent in smelting metal oxides. It reacts with oxygen in metal ores to produce carbon monoxide or dioxide, liberating pure liquid metal. The high temperatures inside blast furnaces facilitate this reduction process by shifting thermodynamic equilibria. Smelting is an extractive metallurgy process where metal ores are heated to melt and separate the desired metal. Reducing agents donate electrons to metal cations, converting them back into elemental metallic atoms. Coke is a carbon-rich fuel produced by heating coal in the absence of air to remove volatile components.
Option B is zinc, a metal sometimes used as a reducing agent in specific chemical contexts rather than primary smelting. Option C is aluminium, which is used in specialized aluminothermic reductions rather than standard blast furnace smelting. Option D is copper, which is usually the metal being extracted rather than acting as the primary smelting reducing agent.
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