Which of the following Cannot be reduced by carbon?

Author: Toy Sporer  |  Last update: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Carbon cannot reduce the oxides of sodium, magnesium, calcium, aluminium etc. to the respective metals. This is because these metals have more affinity for oxygen than carbon.

Which cannot be reduced by carbon?

Carbon cannot be used to reduce Al2O3 to Al while ZnO can be reduced by carbon.

Which of the following cannot be reduced?

Final Answer: The oxide that cannot be reduced with carbon to obtain the metal is Al2O3 (Aluminum oxide).

What elements can be reduced by carbon?

Carbon displaces less reactive metals. As we learnt earlier, metals will always displace those that are less reactive than themselves. This means that carbon can only be used for the metals that are less reactive, such as Zinc, Iron and Copper.

Which of the following is reduced by carbon?

Lead is extracted from its chief ore galena by both carbon reduction as well as self-reduction.

which of the following oxide cannot be reduced to metal by carbon ?

Can lead be reduced by carbon?

Carbon reduction reaction of lead oxide - Lead oxide can be reduced to lead metal. This reaction is used in the metallurgy of lead metal. Hence only lead metal can be reduced by carbon reduction as well as self-reduction.

Which one of the following elements is not a reducing agent?

CO2 is not a reducing agent.

What are reduced carbons?

In reference to organic molecules, oxidation is a process by which a carbon atom gains bonds to more electronegative elements, most commonly oxygen. Reduction is a process by which a carbon atom gains bonds to less electronegative elements, most commonly hydrogen.

What metals Cannot be extracted using carbon?

Metals which are above carbon in the reactivity series cannot be reduced using carbon, as the carbon would be less reactive than them. Metals such as aluminium and magnesium must be extracted through an alternative process known as electrolysis.

What metals Cannot react with dilute acids?

Metals below hydrogen (copper, silver, gold and platinum), will not react with dilute acid. They cannot displace hydrogen from the non-metal anion.

Can chromium be reduced by carbon?

In addition, previous studies have demonstrate that chromium from chromite spinel can be reduced under carbon dosage conditions to form (Cr, Fe)₇C₃, Cr₃C₂, and chromium oxides [23,24]. Therefore, this study investigates the reduction behavior of internally carbonized pellets using hydrogen.

What Cannot be reduced to simpler substances?

An element is a pure substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical or physical means.

Can potassium oxide be reduced by carbon?

The oxides of very reactive metals cannot be reduced with carbon. This is because these metals have more affinity (more attraction) for oxygen than carbon. so carbon is unable to remove oxygen from these metal oxides and hence cannot convert them into free metals.

What is the most reduced carbon?

The most reduced form of carbon is CH₄, the most oxidized is CO₂. Thus the oxidation state of a one-carbon fragment is unambiguous and defined by the number of C-H bonds that have been replaced by C-X bonds, where X = any electronegative element (see periodic table on previous page).

Which two metallic oxides Cannot be reduced by carbon?

(b) Potassium and sodium oxides cannot be reduced by carbon, carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

What has the lowest carbon content?

Anthracite is the type of coal that has the lowest carbon content.

Which metals can be reduced by carbon?

Iron and lead are less reactive than carbon. So, they can be extracted by reducing their metal oxides using carbon.

Can sodium be reduced by carbon?

Sodium and magnesium are most reactive metals (placed at the top in the reactivity series). They are very stable and cannot be reduced by carbon. They have more attraction to oxygen than carbon.

Why can't aluminium be extracted by carbon?

Aluminium is more reactive than carbon so it must be extracted from its compounds using electrolysis.

What functional groups cannot be oxidized?

Tertiary alcohols cannot be oxidized under normal conditions because they do not have a hydrogen atom that can be removed.

Can SO2 be oxidized?

Sulphur dioxide is an acidic gas that is primarily produced from the combustion of fossil fuel containing sulphur, or from the oxidation of naturally occurring sulphur gases. The oxidation of SO2 can occur either through gas or liquid phase processes.

What are reduced compounds?

When a compound has lots of carbon-hydrogen bonds, it is said to be in a lower oxidation state, or a more reduced state. Conversely, if it contains a lot of carbon-heteroatom bonds, it is said to be in a higher oxidation state.

Which of the following cannot be used as a reducing agent?

CO2 cannot acts as reducing agent because carbon is present in its highest oxidation state i.e.,+4 while all others can act as reducing agent as they are present in its lower oxidation state.

What is a non-reducing agent?

A reducing sugar is a sugar that has a free aldehyde or ketone that can act as a reducing agent. A non-reducing sugar does not have a free aldehyde or ketone, so it cannot act as a reducing agent.

Which is the least reducing agent?

STATEMENT-1 : Lithium is the most powerful reducing agent and sodium is the least powerful reducing agent amongst the alkali metals in aqueous solutions.