C5 Chemical changes

• Metals react with oxygen to produce metal oxides.
• Oxidation:

  • gaining oxygen
  • electrons loss (OIL RIG)
• Reduction

  • loss of oxygen
  • gain of electrons (OIL RIG)
• When a metal reacts with water it produces a metal hydroxide and hydrogen
• The reactivity series :

  Potassium (most reactive)

  sodium

  lithium

  calcium

  magnesium

  carbon

  zinc

  iron

  hydrogen

  copper (least reactive)
• 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 metal
• Metals less reactive than carbon can be extracted from their oxides by reduction with carbon