In the joining of railway tracks, iron oxide is made to react with

In the joining of railway tracks, iron oxide is made to react with

Aluminium
Zinc
Copper
Tin
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-2 – 2022
In the joining of railway tracks, iron oxide (rust) is made to react with Aluminium powder. This reaction is the basis of thermite welding.
– The thermite reaction involves the reduction of a metal oxide by a more reactive metal, producing a large amount of heat and molten metal.
– The specific reaction used for rail welding is between iron(III) oxide (Fe₂O₃) and aluminium (Al): 2Al + Fe₂O₃ → Al₂O₃ + 2Fe + Heat.
– The molten iron produced at high temperature fills the gap between the rails, creating a weld.
The thermite process was discovered by Hans Goldschmidt in 1895 and is still used for various welding applications, particularly where electric welding is difficult or impractical, such as railway tracks.
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