This post is about Reactivities and Reactions of Metals.
Here are some summary pointers.
Reactivity of Metals
Reactivity Series: Metals are ordered based on their reactivity from most reactive (potassium) to least reactive (gold). More reactive metals displace less reactive metals from compounds.
Trends: Reactivity generally decreases down the reactivity series. Alkali metals (Group 1) and alkaline earth metals (Group 2) are highly reactive.
Reaction with Water:
Highly reactive metals like potassium, sodium, and calcium react vigorously with water to form hydroxides and hydrogen gas.
Less reactive metals like magnesium react only with hot water, while metals like iron and zinc react with steam.
Reaction with Acids:
Reactive metals (e.g., magnesium, zinc) react with dilute acids (e.g., HCl, H₂SO₄) to produce hydrogen gas and salt.
Less reactive metals (e.g., copper, silver) do not react with dilute acids.
Reaction with Oxygen:
Metals like potassium and sodium react readily with oxygen at room temperature.
Iron requires heating to form oxides, while gold and platinum do not react with oxygen.
Common Metal Reactions
- Displacement Reactions:
A more reactive metal displaces a less reactive metal from its salt solution (e.g., zinc displaces copper from copper sulfate). - Thermal Decomposition:
Metal carbonates decompose upon heating, forming metal oxides and CO₂ (e.g., calcium carbonate decomposes to calcium oxide and CO₂).
- Reduction with Carbon:
Metals below carbon in the reactivity series (e.g., iron) can be extracted from their oxides using carbon as a reducing agent. - Electrolysis:
Highly reactive metals (e.g., sodium, potassium) are extracted from their compounds using electrolysis since they cannot be reduced by carbon.
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