Reactivity of Metals

• Metals react with oxygen to produce metal oxides. The reactions are oxidation reactions because the metals gain oxygen
• When metals react with other substances the metal atoms form positive ions
• The reactivity of a metal is related to its tendency to form positive ions
• Metals can be arranged in order of their reactivity in a reactivity series
• The non-metals hydrogen and carbon are often included in the reactivity series
• A more reactive metal can displace a less reactive metal from a compound
• Metals that are less reactive then carbon can be extracted from their ores by reduction with carbon
• Metals that are more reactive the hydrogen will react with acids
• Reactivity series

  • Potassium (K)
  • Sodium (Na)
  • Lithium (Li)
  • Calcium (Ca)
  • Magnesium (Mg)
  • Carbon (C)
  • Zinc (Zn)
  • Iron (Fe)
  • Hydrogen (H)
  • Copper (Cu)
• metal + water $\rightarrow$metal hydroxide + hydrogen
• acid + metal $\rightarrow$ salt + hydrogen
• Hydrochloric acid will react with metals to produce chloride salts
• Sulfuric acid will react with metals to produce sulphate salts
• A more reactive metal will produce more bubbles of hydrogen when reacting with a dilute acid
• The burning splint test can be used to test for hydrogen
• Unreactive metals such as gold are found in the Earth as the metal itself but most metals are found as compounds that require chemical reactions to extract the metal
• Metals less reactive than carbon can be extracted from their oxides by reduction with carbon
• Reduction involves the loss of oxygen
• metal oxide + carbon $\rightarrow$ metal + carbon dioxide
• Oxidation is the loss of electrons
• Reduction is the gain of electrons