The Reactivity Series

• Some metals are more reactive than others. Some fizz when added to acid, some catch fire when they're added to water... However, some metals don't react, even with hot acid.
• Some reactive metals include potassium, iron, magnesium, aluminium and calcium.
• Some less reactive metals include copper, gold, silver and platinum.
• Metals react easily with oxygen if they're in group 2 and are more reactive as oxygen needs 2 electrons to form a full outer shell.
• The reactivity series is a list of metals in order of reactivity.
• A displacement reaction is a reaction where a more reactive metal will displace a less reactive metal within a compound. For example, Iron Sulfate will be displaced by Magnesium as magnesium is more reactive.
• Ionic Equations show only the atoms and ions that change within a reaction. For example, Mg(s) +Cu^2+(aq) ->Mg^2+(aq) +Cu(s)
• Balanced equations have equal numbers of atoms on both sides.
• An Ore is a naturally occuring metal compound found in the earth's crust. An Ore must contain enough metal for it to be worth extracting.
• Very unreactive metals like gold and platinum are found as pure elements, so don't need purifying.
• It was impossible to purify aluminium until the 19th century because it can only be purified by electrolysis, which requires electricity.
• Some metals are extracted by displacing the metals with carbon as they're not as reactive and electrolysis is very expensive. For example, Zinc.
• Some metals are extracted by displacing them with electrolysis. Metals are extracted by electrolysis as they're more reactive than carbon so can't be displaced by it. For example, Pottasium.
• Metals less reactive than copper (Au) are already purified.