# Titanium is a metal used in aircraft and medical implants. It is always found combined with other elements in the Earth's crust and must be extracted from its ore. Explain why titanium cannot be extracted from its ore by heating with carbon, and state the method that is used instead.

> Eduqas GCSE Chemistry — 2.3 Metals and their extraction · Explain · 4 marks

> Titanium is a highly reactive metal found in the ore rutile (titanium dioxide, TiO₂). It is never found as a native metal.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. Titanium is too reactive / higher in the reactivity series than carbon
2. Carbon cannot displace / reduce titanium from its ore (because carbon is less reactive than titanium)
3. Electrolysis is used to extract titanium
4. Electrolysis requires a large amount of energy / is expensive, making titanium costly to produce

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