Aluminium is common (abundant- found everywhere, naturally in compounds)
it is expensive due to the extraction process.
Aluminium ore is called bauxite
The bauxite is purified to aluminium oxide - from which aluminium can be extracted.
The extraction is done by electrolysis
aluminium oxide must be melted so that electricity can pass through it
Aluminium oxide has a very high melting point (over 2000°C)
Too expensive to melt it
it is dissolved in moltencryolite - an aluminium compound with a lower melting point than aluminium oxide
The use of cryolite reduces some of the energy costs involved in extracting aluminium

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GCSE Chemistry (C2b) Notiz am Salts, erstellt von juliasutton am 15/04/2014.