reactions of metals

• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - what does reactivity mean?

  how vigorously a substance chemically reacts.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - how can metals be ordered by their reactivity?

  by comparing their reactions with water, acid or oxygen.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - what name is given to a list of metals ordered by their reactivity?

  reactivity series.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - in terms of electrons, what makes some metals more reactive than others?

  they lose their outer shell electrons more easily.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - why are gold and silver found naturally as elements in the earths crust?

  they are very unreactive.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - what is an ore?

  a rock containing enough of a metal compound to be economically worth extracting.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - how are metals less reactive than carbon extracted from their ores?

  reduction with carbon.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - in terms of oxygen, what is oxidisation?

  addition of oxygen.
• REACTIONS OF METALS P1 - in terms of oxygen, what is reduction?


  removal of oxygen.
• REACTION OF METALS P1 - why can metals like potassium and aluminium not be extracted by reduction with carbon?

  they are more unreactive than carbon.
• REACTION OF METALS P1 - how are metals more reactive than carbon extracted from their ores?

  electrolysis.
• REACTION OF METALS - what is a displacement reaction?

  when a more reactive substance takes the place of a less reactive substance in a compound.
• REACTION OF METALS P1 - what is a spectator ion?

  ion that is unchanged in a reaction.
• REACTION OF METALS P1 - what is a half equation?

  equation that shows whether a substance is losing or gaining electrons.
• REACTION OF METALS - in terms of electrons what is oxidation?

  loss of electrons.
• REACTION OF METALS P1 - in terms of electrons which is reduction?

  gain of electrons.
• REACTION OF METALS P1 - what are the steps of writing an ionic equation?

  1. check symbol equation is balanced

  2. identify all aqueous ionic compounds

  3. write those compounds out as ions

  4. remove spectator ions