obtaining and using metals

• the most reactive metals will react with water, products are metals hydroxides and hydrogen gas
• fairly reactive metals react with acid : acid + metal -> salt + hydrogen
• almost all metals react with oxygen however more reactive metals will react quicker : metal + oxygen -> metal oxide
• you can deduce the reactivity of metals by seeing if they react with water (very reactive), acid (reactive), oxygen (not as reactive), to see if the reactions have taken part look for bubbles (hydrogen is produced)
• displacement are redox reactions, meaning two substances react together more reactive metals form a cation (+) as they loose electrons (oxidation), less reactive metals form a negative ion (gain electrons) therefore it is reduced
• reactivity series


  potassium

  sodium

  calcium

  magnesium

  aluminium

  carbon

  zinc

  iron

  hydrogen

  copper

  silver

  gold
• the last element is gold, since it is very unreactive, it is found in the Earth as the metal itself (unreacted with anything), most metals are found as compounds that require chemical reactions to extract the metal, since they have reacted with other compounds/elements
• oxidation is the gain of oxygen whereas reduction is the loss of oxygen
• extraction of metals from ores

  reduction involves the loss of oxygen, so you are reducing the ores to remove the oxygen to obtain the pure metal, metals less reactive than carbon can not be extracted from their oxides with carbon
• extracting metals from ores (heating with carbon)

  • only used if metal is less reactive than carbon
  • less reactive metal looses oxygen, and is therefore reduced, the carbon gains the oxygen and is therefore oxidised