CBSE Class 10 Answered
Metals low in the activity series:
Oxides of such metals can be reduced to metal by heating alone in the air.
Example: HgS is cinnabar ore of mercury metal.
This on heating in air changes to metal oxide and metal oxide then on heating gets reduced to mercury metal.
Metals in the middle of the activity series:
Metals in the middle of the reactivity series are usually present as sulphides or carbonates.
These sulphides and carbonates are converted into metal oxides and then these metal oxides are reduced to corresponding metals by reduction.
Coke (carbon) acts as a reducing agent.
Example:
Metals on the top of the activity series:
As these metals are quite reactive metals, their oxides are reduced by electrolysis method.
On passing the current through their molten state, we get the metals at the cathode.
Example: