2 interactive concept widgets for General Principles of Isolation of Elements. Drag any slider, change any number, and watch the formula and the answer update live. Built so you understand how each NEET problem actually works, not just the final number.
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Select a metal (Copper, Iron, Aluminium, Zinc, Sodium) to see its complete step-by-step extraction pathway from ore to pure metal. Each step shows the type (ore, concentration, pre-treatment, reduction, refining) with a colour-coded label. Click any step to expand a detailed explanation.
Select a metal to see its complete extraction pathway from ore to pure metal. Click any step to read a detailed explanation.
Starting Ore
Copper pyrites (CuFeS₂)
Concentration
Froth Flotation
Pre-treatment (Partial Roasting)
Matte Formation: Cu₂S + FeS
Smelting + Flux
Remove FeS as slag (FeSiO₃)
Reduction (Auto-reduction)
Blister Copper (98–99% Cu)
Refining
Electrolytic Refining
Pure Product
Copper 99.99% (Cu)
Ore
Concentration
Pre-treatment
Reduction
Refining
Product
Tap any step to expand its explanation.
Conceptual Ellingham diagram showing ΔfG° vs temperature lines for CuO, ZnO, Fe₂O₃, Al₂O₃, MgO, C→CO₂, and C→CO. Click any line to see whether carbon can reduce that oxide, at what temperature, which extraction method is used instead, and the NEET explanation.
Click any line to see which metals carbon can reduce, at what temperature, and why. Lower = more stable oxide = harder to extract.
Y-axis: ΔfG° (kJ/mol O₂), lower means more stable oxide
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X-axis: Temperature (0 → 2000°C, left → right)
0°C
500°C
1000°C
1500°C
2000°C
Less stable
More stable
CO₂
CO
CuO
ZnO
Fe₂O₃
Al₂O₃
MgO
2C + O₂ → 2CO
Can carbon reduce this oxide?
No
Carbon crosses at
N/A: this IS the key carbon line
Extraction method
This line determines what carbon can reduce
NEET explanation
Strong negative slope because 1 mol gas → 2 mol gas, so ΔS is large and positive. At high T, this line crosses below metal oxide lines, enabling carbon reduction.
Key line for assessing carbon reduction feasibility
Key rules for NEET
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