Carbothermic reaction

Carbothermic reactions involve the reduction of substances, often metal oxides, using carbon as the reducing agent. These chemical reactions are usually conducted at temperatures of several hundred degrees Celsius. Such processes are applied for production of the elemental forms of many elements. Carbothermic reactions are not useful for some metal oxides, such as those of sodium and potassium. The ability of metals to participate in carbothermic reactions can be predicted from Ellingham diagrams.