Actualmente estoy estudiando las reacciones que implican la reducción de óxidos metálicos por el carbón a alta temperatura para producir carburos refractarios (como $\ce{ZrC}$) siguiendo ecuaciones tales como:
$$\ce{ZrO_2 + 3C → ZrC + 2CO_{(g)}}$$
I have come across both the following terms for this type of a reaction carbothermic reduction and carboreduction; they appear to be used completely interchangeably. I would like to make sure (as I have not yet found a source to say otherwise) that this is the case in chemistry terminology and not that one may be applied to an equation as above and the other to a similar reaction where the product is actually the pure reduced metal, such as that for iron ore smelting:
$$\ce{2Fe_2O_3 + 3C → 4Fe + 3CO_2}$$
