4.1 Reactivity of Metals

• Factors affecting metal reactivity from most to least significant

  1️⃣ Atomic structure

  2️⃣ Ionization energy

  3️⃣ Reactivity with oxygen, acids, water
• Match the metal with its reactivity level:

  Potassium ↔️ Most reactive

  Iron ↔️ Low reactivity

  Gold ↔️ Least reactive
• Lower ionization energy means a metal is more reactive.


  True
• What is the reactivity series used for?

  Ranking metals by reactivity
• Metals with larger atomic radii are more reactive because they lose electrons easily.


  True
• Reactive metals have fewer valence electrons.
• Copper has very low reactivity
• The most reactive metal in the reactivity series is potassium
• Why do more reactive metals readily lose electrons?

  Lower ionization energy
• How is the reactivity series used in metal extraction?

  More reactive metals displace less reactive metals
• Which metal is the least reactive in the reactivity series?

  Gold
• What type of gas is produced when a reactive metal reacts with acid?

  Hydrogen
• Which metal is most reactive in the reactivity series?

  Potassium
• Match the metal with its position in the reactivity series:

  Potassium ↔️ Most reactive

  Gold ↔️ Least reactive

  Iron ↔️ Low reactivity
• Metals with larger atomic radii are more reactive


  True
• In displacement reactions, a more reactive metal replaces a less reactive metal in a compound


  True
• Match the application with its use of the reactivity series:

  Corrosion Protection ↔️ Coating with more reactive metal to corrode first

  Batteries ↔️ Metals with different reactivities used as electrodes
• Potassium is the most reactive metal in the series
• Metals with lower ionization energies are more reactive
• Order the metals from most to least reactive:

  1️⃣ Potassium

  2️⃣ Sodium

  3️⃣ Calcium

  4️⃣ Magnesium

  5️⃣ Zinc

  6️⃣ Iron

  7️⃣ Copper

  8️⃣ Gold
• Which metal is least reactive in the reactivity series?

  Gold
• Order the following metals from most to least reactive: magnesium, iron, zinc, gold

  1️⃣ Magnesium

  2️⃣ Zinc

  3️⃣ Iron

  4️⃣ Gold
• Match the displacement reaction with its observation:

  Zinc displaces copper from copper sulfate ↔️ Reddish-brown deposit of copper forms

  Magnesium displaces iron from iron oxide ↔️ Magnesium oxide forms, iron is released
• Galvanizing steel with zinc protects it from corrosion because zinc is more reactive than iron


  True
• What does the reactivity series rank metals by?

  Relative reactivity
• Metals with lower ionization energies are more reactive
• The reactivity series is used to predict which metal will displace another in a reaction