Silicothermic reactions are thermic chemical reactions using silicon as the reducing agent at high temperature (800-1400°C).
They were initially commercialized for the production of low-carbon ferromanganese before and during World War I(F. M. Becket played a significant role) and are still used today. They were also historically used for the production of low-carbon ferrochrome, but were displaced by electric methods.
The most prominent example is the Pidgeon process (developed commercially in Canada during the Second World War[1] by Lloyd Montgomery Pidgeon) for reducing magnesium metal from ores. Other processes include the Bolzano process and the magnetherm process. All three are commercially used for magnesium production.