plumiReactivity and extracting metals: Edexcel GCSE Combined Science questions
Every Edexcel GCSE Combined Science exam question on Reactivity and extracting metals (specification points 4.1–4.9), 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.
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Calculations
Q4(b)
The whole paper ↗Q3(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q4(a)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q4(a)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q4(c)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q4(c)(ii)
The whole paper ↗Q4(c)(iv)
The whole paper ↗Q3(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q3(d)
The whole paper ↗Q6(a)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q2(a)
The whole paper ↗Q2(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q5(e)
The whole paper ↗Q6(a)
The whole paper ↗Q6(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q6(c)
The whole paper ↗Q4(a)
The whole paper ↗Q4(b)(i)
The whole paper ↗Q4(d)
The whole paper ↗Q6(a)(i)
The whole paper ↗
All 54 questions on Reactivity and extracting metals, as a list
- June 2025, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q4(b) (3 marks): Copper can be extracted from copper oxide by heating the copper oxide with carbon. A student investigated two methods to extract the maximum mass of copper from
- June 2025, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(b)(i) (2 marks): Arrange the metals E, F, G and H in order of reactivity. (2) metal most reactive least reactive
- June 2025, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(a)(i) (1 mark): Which metal is found in the Earth’s crust as an uncombined element? (1) A aluminium B gold C lead D sodium
- June 2025, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(a)(ii) (1 mark): Name one metal in Figure 8 that is normally extracted by electrolysis. (1)
- June 2025, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(c)(i) (1 mark): Write the word equation for this reaction. (1)
- June 2025, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(c)(ii) (1 mark): In this reaction, copper oxide loses oxygen. State the type of reaction when copper oxide loses oxygen. (1)
- June 2025, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(c)(iv) (1 mark): State why this reaction with copper oxide uses excess carbon. (1)
- June 2024, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q3(b)(i) (3 marks): Small amounts of some metals are extracted using displacement reactions. In one process, zinc dust is used to precipitate cadmium metal from a solution containi
- June 2024, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q3(d) (2 marks): Lead is low in the reactivity series. Describe how to obtain a sample of lead from some lead oxide in the laboratory. (2)
- June 2024, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q6(a)(i) (2 marks): Use the information in Figure 6 and Figure 7 to suggest the observations that would be made for metal G. (2)
- June 2023, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q2(a) (1 mark): Which metal reacts when added to cold water? (1) A calcium B copper C gold D silver
- June 2023, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q2(b)(i) (2 marks): Use the information in Figure 2 and in Figure 3 to predict the observations for the reactions of magnesium and of iron with dilute hydrochloric acid. (2) magnes
- June 2023, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q5(e) (2 marks): In this reaction, copper oxide, CuO, forms copper sulfate, CuSO4. Explain, in terms of electrons, whether the copper in copper oxide has been oxidised, has been
- June 2023, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a) (1 mark): Which metal reacts when added to cold water? (1) A calcium B copper C gold D silver
- June 2023, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b)(i) (2 marks): Use the information in Figure 8 and in Figure 9 to predict the observations for the reactions of magnesium and of iron with dilute hydrochloric acid. (2) magnes
- June 2023, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(c) (6 marks): There are three common methods of obtaining metals from the Earth’s crust: • mine the pure metal • mine the metal ore and heat it with carbon • mine the metal o
- June 2022, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q4(a) (2 marks): Aluminium is extracted from its ore by electrolysis. Explain why this method is used to extract aluminium from its ore. (2)
- June 2022, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q4(b)(i) (3 marks): One step in the extraction of titanium metal involves the displacement reaction between titanium chloride, TiCl4, and magnesium. TiCl4 + 2Mg → Ti + 2MgCl2 This
- June 2022, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q4(d) (2 marks): Copper is low down in the reactivity series and can be obtained from copper oxide. Devise a simple method to obtain a sample of copper from copper oxide in the
- June 2022, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q6(a)(i) (2 marks): Use the information in Figure 6 to place the metals in order of reactivity from the least reactive to the most reactive. (2) least reactive most reactive
- June 2022, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q6(a)(ii) (2 marks): The experiment was repeated using an excess of dilute sulfuric acid in place of the dilute hydrochloric acid. metal + sulfuric acid → metal sulfate + hydrogen W
- November 2021, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q5(a) (3 marks): The order of reactivity of copper, magnesium and zinc can be determined by the displacement reactions between these metals and solutions of their salts. You are
- November 2021, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q5(b) (2 marks): Metals can be extracted from ores found in the Earth’s crust. Explain why aluminium cannot be extracted from its ore by heating with carbon but can be extracted
- November 2021, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(a)(i) (1 mark): Write the word equation for this reaction. (1) + →
- November 2021, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(a)(ii) (1 mark): What type of reaction occurs when chromium reacts with oxygen? (1) A condensation B evaporation C neutralisation D oxidation
- November 2021, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(b)(i) (1 mark): Place the metals in order of reactivity from most to least reactive. (1) most reactive least reactive
- November 2021, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(c)(i) (1 mark): State why iron can be extracted by heating iron oxide with carbon. (1)
- November 2021, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q2(c)(ii) (1 mark): State why electrolysis is not used to extract iron. (1)
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q4(b)(i) (1 mark): This reaction is an example of (1) A crystallisation B distillation C neutralisation D oxidation
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q5(b)(i) (1 mark): One similarity in the reactions is that hydrogen gas is produced. State one other similarity in the products of the reactions of calcium and potassium with wate
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q5(b)(ii) (1 mark): Potassium is higher in the reactivity series than calcium and reacts more vigorously with water than calcium reacts with water. State why potassium is higher in
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q1(b)(ii) (1 mark): The hazard symbol shown in Figure 1 is used on containers of sodium. Figure 1 What is the meaning of this hazard symbol? (1) A corrosive B flammable C oxidising
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(a) (1 mark): Which of these metals is found as the uncombined element in the Earth’s crust? (1) A aluminium B gold C potassium D zinc
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(c) (1 mark): An ore of iron is mostly iron oxide, Fe2O3. Iron can be extracted from this iron oxide by heating it with carbon. Balance this equation for the reaction that ta
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(d) (2 marks): Most copper ores are described as low grade. This means that the percentage of copper in the ore is very small. 5000 kg of one copper ore was found to contain 4
- November 2020, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(e) (2 marks): In one stage of the extraction of lead from its ore, lead oxide is heated strongly with carbon. The equation for the reaction is 2PbO + C → 2Pb + CO2 Explain, u
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q3(b)(i) (2 marks): In the first stage of extracting nickel from nickel sulfide, the nickel sulfide, NiS, is heated in air to form nickel oxide, NiO, and sulfur dioxide. Write the
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q3(b)(ii) (1 mark): In the final stage of the extraction process, a nickel compound is electrolysed to produce pure nickel. An advantage of producing a metal by electrolysis is tha
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q5(a) (2 marks): Describe what you would see when an excess of zinc is added to copper sulfate solution and the mixture left until the reaction is complete. (2)
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q5(b) (4 marks): This reaction is described as a redox reaction. Explain, in terms of electrons, which particles have been oxidised and which particles have been reduced in this
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(a)(i) (1 mark): The same mass of metal was used in each experiment. Which piece of apparatus should be used to find the mass of metal used? (1) A a balance B a pipette C a stop
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(a)(ii) (2 marks): State two variables, apart from the mass of the metals, that should be controlled in this investigation. (2) 1 2
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q3(a)(iii) (1 mark): Magnesium produces the most vigorous effervescence. Copper does not produce any effervescence. Give the reason why copper does not produce any effervescence. (1
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(a) (1 mark): Which of these metals is usually found uncombined in the Earth’s crust? (1) A calcium B gold C iron D magnesium
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(b)(i) (2 marks): Write the word equation for this reaction. (2)
- June 2019, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q4(b)(ii) (1 mark): In this reaction zinc oxide loses oxygen. State the type of reaction taking place when an oxide loses oxygen. (1)
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q2(a)(i) (1 mark): In this reaction (1) A carbon is reduced B iron oxide is neutralised C iron oxide is reduced D iron is oxidised
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q2(b) (2 marks): Aluminium cannot be extracted by heating its oxide with carbon. Aluminium has to be extracted from its oxide by electrolysis. Explain why. (2)
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q2(c) (1 mark): Predict the method that will have to be used to extract calcium from its ore. (1)
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q6(a)(i) (2 marks): The student recorded the observations until each metal had reacted with the acid for two minutes. The observations are shown in Figure 6. metal observations bub
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Higher, Q6(a)(ii) (2 marks): Complete the diagram below to show how the student could add to the apparatus to measure the volume of gas produced in the two minutes. (2)
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(a)(i) (1 mark): In this reaction (1) A carbon is reduced B iron oxide is neutralised C iron oxide is reduced D iron is oxidised
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(b) (2 marks): Aluminium cannot be extracted by heating its oxide with carbon. Aluminium has to be extracted from its oxide by electrolysis. Explain why. (2)
- June 2018, Chemistry Paper 1 Foundation, Q6(c) (1 mark): Predict the method that will have to be used to extract calcium from its ore. (1)
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