The chemical behavior of iron ore reduction was experimentally studied under electric and magnetic fields of microwaves. The microwave magnetic field rapidly heated the powdery ores so that the reduction of the ore to metal ions was completed. The mechanism was investigated theoretically. It was found that the combined effect of thermal energy and a portion of the microwave magnetic field enhanced deoxidation and that the microwaves act as a dynamic catalyst at high temperatures. High-frequency magnetic fields were found to enhance the antibonding character of oxygen in materials with unpaired spins above the Fermi level of the 3d shell. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.