Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) does not decompose into aluminum and diatomic oxygen at room temperature. Instead, the extraction of aluminum from its ore, bauxite, involves a more complex process. In the Bayer process, bauxite is first refined to produce aluminum oxide. This aluminum oxide is then subjected to the Hall-Héroult process, where it is electrolyzed in molten cryolite to produce pure aluminum metal.
At room temperature, aluminum oxide is stable and requires high temperatures, typically above 1000°C, for its decomposition. The Hall-Héroult process itself operates at elevated temperatures and utilizes electrical energy to break the chemical bonds in aluminum oxide. Thus, while aluminum is indeed extracted from aluminum oxide, it cannot be done simply at room temperature.