Question

The most important ore of aluminium is:

• A. Bauxite
• B. Magnetite
• C. Haematite
• D. Monazite

Hint:

Match each mineral in the options to the metal it is mined for.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: An ore is a naturally occurring mineral from which a metal can be extracted profitably.

Step 2: Bauxite is essentially hydrated aluminium oxide, Al2O3.2H2O, and it is the chief commercial source of aluminium metal worldwide. Aluminium is extracted from it first by the Bayer process, which purifies the ore to alumina, and then by the Hall-Heroult electrolysis process, which reduces alumina to the metal.

Step 3: Magnetite (Fe3O4) and haematite (Fe2O3) are both ores of iron, not aluminium. Monazite is a phosphate mineral that serves as a source of thorium and rare earth elements, again unrelated to aluminium.

Step 4: Hence the correct answer is A) Bauxite.