Aluminothermic reaction

An aluminothermic reaction using iron(III) oxide. The sparks flying outwards are globules of molten iron trailing smoke in their wake.
Video of aluminothermic reaction to make stainless steel from iron ore

Aluminothermic reactions are exothermic chemical reactions using aluminium as the reducing agent at high temperature. The process is industrially useful for production of alloys of iron.[1] The most prominent example is the thermite reaction between iron oxides and aluminium to produce iron itself:

Fe2O3 + 2 Al → 2 Fe + Al2O3

This specific reaction is however not relevant to the most important application of aluminothermic reactions, the production of ferroalloys. For the production of iron, a cheaper reducing agent, coke, is used instead via the carbothermic reaction.

  1. ^ Rudolf Fichte. "Ferroalloys". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a10_305. ISBN 978-3527306732.