= Extractive metallurgy
<Extractive metallurgy> develops processes for separating useful <metals> from <ores> and refining them to a required purity. A process may combine physical concentration, high-temperature reactions, dissolution and electrochemical recovery. The appropriate route depends on the mineral's <chemical composition>, the metal's reactivity and the fate of unwanted constituents.
For <iron extraction>, an <iron oxide> must lose <oxygen>. In a simplified reaction, $\mathrm{Fe_2O_3+3CO\to2Fe+3CO_2}$, <carbon monoxide> is the reducing agent. Separating the resulting <iron> from <slag> and controlling remaining impurities are further tasks. Extraction is therefore a sequence of reaction and separation steps, rather than just melting the original rock.<Steel Production by the American Iron and Steel Institute>[Blast-furnace reduction and pig-iron output]{ref}
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