Thermite reduction is not used for commercial extraction of the respectively metal from which of the following oxides ?

Options

A. `Mn_(3)O_(4)`
B. `TiO_(2)`
C. `Fe_(2)O_(3)`
D. `Cr_(2)O_(3)`

Answer

To determine which metal oxide is not commercially extracted using the thermite reduction method, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Thermite Reaction**: The thermite reaction is a type of exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction where a more reactive metal (usually aluminum) is used to reduce a less reactive metal oxide.

2. **Identify Common Metal Oxides**: The common metal oxides that are typically reduced using the thermite process include oxides of metals like iron (Fe2O3), manganese (MnO2), chromium (Cr2O3), and titanium (TiO2).

3. **Analyze the Reducing Agents**: In the thermite process, aluminum is used as the reducing agent. However, not all metal oxides can be effectively reduced by aluminum due to their properties.

4. **Consider the Oxides with High Melting Points**: Some metal oxides, such as those of manganese, titanium, and chromium, have high melting points and cannot be reduced effectively using carbon. They are often reduced using aluminum instead.

5. **Focus on Iron Oxide**: Iron oxide (Fe2O3) is commonly reduced using carbon monoxide in a blast furnace rather than through the thermite process. The reaction involves the reduction of iron oxide to iron using carbon monoxide, which is a more economical method for large-scale extraction.

6. **Conclusion**: Therefore, the metal oxide that is not commercially extracted using the thermite reduction method is iron oxide (Fe2O3).

### Final Answer:
The correct answer is **Fe2O3** (option 3).

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