MCQ Detailed View

Bauxite is the primary ore of aluminium, and it is composed mainly of hydrated aluminium oxides. Its general chemical formula is Al₂O₃·xH₂O, where “x” represents water molecules present in the mineral structure. The chemical name of bauxite is therefore Aluminium Oxide, which reflects its composition of aluminium and oxygen atoms combined with water.

Bauxite is formed from the weathering of rocks rich in aluminium minerals, often found in tropical and subtropical regions. The ore contains varying amounts of gibbsite (Al(OH)₃), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH)), which are all forms of aluminium oxide hydroxides. The presence of these hydrated oxides makes bauxite an excellent source for extracting pure aluminium through the Bayer process, which involves dissolving the ore in sodium hydroxide and precipitating aluminium hydroxide before reducing it to metallic aluminium.

Bauxite is not aluminium chloride (AlCl₃) or aluminium sulphite (Al₂(SO₃)₃); those are chemical compounds with different compositions and industrial uses. Aluminium chloride is used in chemical reactions and as a catalyst, while aluminium sulphite is rarely encountered outside specialized chemical applications.

Understanding bauxite’s chemical composition is a key concept in inorganic chemistry and industrial chemistry. It helps students learn about mineralogy, ore processing, and metal extraction techniques. Aluminium, derived from bauxite, is widely used in construction, transportation, packaging, and electrical industries, making this knowledge important in everyday science and practical applications.

Bauxite, therefore, serves as both a natural resource and an important teaching example in chemistry, illustrating the link between minerals, chemical composition, and industrial processes.