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In chemistry, the reactivity series is a series of metals, in order of reactivity from highest to lowest. Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem meaning "earth") is the Science concerned with the composition structure and properties The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across It is used to determine the products of single displacement reactions, whereby metal A will replace another metal B in a solution if A is higher in the series. A single-displacement reaction, also called single-replacement reaction, is when an element or ion moves out of one compound and into another

Contents

Differing definitions

In the UK a reduced version of the series below is taught as part of the GCSE chemistry course, leading to various mnemonics being invented to aid memory. The General Certificate of Secondary Education ( GCSE) is the name of an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject generally taken in a number of subjects by The reactivity series taught in the US is defined by the ease of oxidation and corresponds to the ordering of the table of standard electrode potentials. Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction describes all Chemical reactions in which atoms have their Oxidation number ( Oxidation state The Standard electrode potentials are Electrode potentials of Half cells at equilibrium This is markedly different from the table below.

A reactivity series of common metals

Here is a series of some of the most common metals, listed in descending order of reactivity.

MetalsMetal IonReactivity
KK+reacts with water
NaNa+
BaBa2+
SrSr+
CaCa2+
LiLi+
MgMg2+reacts with acids
AlAl3+
MnMn2+
ZnZn2+
CrCr2+
FeFe2+
CdCd2+
CoCo2+
NiNi2+
SnSn2+
PbPb2+
H2H+included for comparison
SbSb3+highly unreactive
BiBi3+
CuCu2+
HgHg2+
AgAg+
PtPt+
AuAu3+

A metal can replace metals listed below it in the activity series, but not above. Potassium (pəˈtæsiəm is a Chemical element. It has the symbol K (kalium from qalīy Atomic number 19 and Atomic mass 39 Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22 Barium (ˈbɛəriəm is a Chemical element. It has the symbol Ba, and Atomic number 56 Strontium (ˈstrɒntiəm /ˈstrɒnʃiəm/) is a Chemical element with the symbol Sr and the Atomic number 38 Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 Lithium (ˈlɪθiəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Li and Atomic number 3 Magnesium (mægˈniːziəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Mg, Atomic number 12 Atomic weight 24 In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are WikipediaNaming Manganese (ˈmæŋgəniːz is a Chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Chromium (ˈkroʊmiəm is a Chemical element which has the symbol Cr and Atomic number 24 Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Cadmium (ˈkædmiəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Cd and Atomic number 48 Cobalt (ˈkoʊbɒlt is a hard lustrous silver-grey Metal, a Chemical element with symbol Co. Nickel (ˈnɪkəl is a metallic Chemical element with the symbol Ni and Atomic number 28 Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Characteristics Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, Ductile, very soft highly Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 Antimony (IPA (Received Pronunciation, /ˈæntɪmoʊni/ (US is a Chemical element with the symbol Sb (stibium meaning "mark" and Bismuth (ˈbɪzməθ is a Chemical element that has the symbol Bi and Atomic number 83 Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Mercury (ˈmɜrkjʊri also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum, is a Chemical element with the symbol Hg ( Latinized hydrargyrum Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Platinum (ˈplætɪnəm is a Chemical element with the Atomic symbol Pt and an Atomic number of 78 Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 For example, sodium is highly active and thus able to replace hydrogen from water:

2 Na (s) + 2 H2O (l) → 2 NaOH (aq) + H2 (g)

Metals that can replace hydrogen within acids but not water are listed in the middle of the activity series, for example zinc replaces hydrogen in sulfuric acid:

Zn (s) + H2SO4 (aq) → ZnSO4 (aq) + H2 (g)

The reactivity series has applications in electrochemistry, where two dissimilar metals are chosen as electrodes of a battery (though the above table is not exact for this purpose. Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22 Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22 Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 Sodium hydroxide ( Na[[hydroxide OH]]) also known as Lye, caustic soda and (incorrectly according to IUPAC nomenclature Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Sulfuric (or sulphuric acid, H 2 S[[oxygen O]]4 is a strong Mineral acid. Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Sulfuric (or sulphuric acid, H 2 S[[oxygen O]]4 is a strong Mineral acid. Zinc sulfate ( Zn[[Sulfate SO4]] is a colorless crystalline water-soluble Chemical compound. Electrochemistry is a branch of Chemistry that studies Chemical reactions which take place in a Solution at the interface of an electron conductor (See Table of standard electrode potentials). The Standard electrode potentials are Electrode potentials of Half cells at equilibrium

Simplified Version

The simplified version that is taught in the GCSE and GCE[1][2] 'O' Level chemistry course, as the basic, are listed below. The General Certificate of Secondary Education ( GCSE) is the name of an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject generally taken in a number of subjects by The General Certificate of Education or GCE is a secondary-level academic qualification that Examination boards in the United Kingdom confer to students Higher education and standard level are required to study more metals as shown above.

MetalsMetal IonReactivity
LiLi+Going from bottom to top, the metals:
  • reactivity increases
  • lose electrons more readily
  • form positive ions more readily
  • become stronger reducing agents

A metal 'high up' in the reactivity series:

  • reacts vigorously and quickly with chemicals
  • readily gives up electrons in reactions to form positive ions
  • is corroded easily

A metal 'low down' in the reactivity series:

  • does not react vigorously and quickly with chemicals
  • does not readily give up electrons in reactions to form positive ions
  • is not corroded easily
KK+
CaCa2+
NaNa+
MgMg2+
AlAl3+
ZnZn2+
FeFe2+
SnSn2+
PbPb2+
H2H+
CuCu2+
AgAg+
AuAu3+

Significance

The reactivity series determines qualitatively characteristics such as the reactions with water, air and acids as demonstrated above. Lithium (ˈlɪθiəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Li and Atomic number 3 Potassium (pəˈtæsiəm is a Chemical element. It has the symbol K (kalium from qalīy Atomic number 19 and Atomic mass 39 Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22 Magnesium (mægˈniːziəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Mg, Atomic number 12 Atomic weight 24 WikipediaNaming Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 Characteristics Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, Ductile, very soft highly Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 In Computer science, ACID ( Atomicity Consistency Isolation Durability) is a set of properties that guarantee that Database transactions are However it is defined by the nature of the metals in single displacement reactions. A single-displacement reaction, also called single-replacement reaction, is when an element or ion moves out of one compound and into another

When a metal in elemental form is placed in a solution of a metal salt it may be, overall, more energetically feasible for this "elemental metal" to exist as an ion and the "ionic metal" to exist as the element. An ion is an Atom or Molecule which has lost or gained one or more Valence electrons giving it a positive or negative electrical charge Therefore the elemental metal will 'displace' the ionic metal over time, thus the two swap places. Only a metal higher in the reactivity series will displace another. What is really occurring when the two metals swap is that the metal higher on the chain is acting as a reducing agent, and transferring one or more of its electrons to the other metal, which since it is lower on the chain than the first metal is more apt to be oxidized, receive the electron. It follows the basic reaction form of 2Li+Cu2+--->2Li++Cu

Lithium metal is the most reactive of all metals. . . . it is the one with the highest ΔH of reaction gives away one of its electrons. . . . the reason that K metal or Cs metal seem more reactive when placed in water is because their atoms are larger meaning their electrons are held farther out from the nucleus, making it easier for them to give them up at a faster rate than lithium. . . which means that they release more energy in a smaller amount of time then lithium can because they can let go of their electrons faster than lithium . . but over all, a mole of lithium releases a lot more energy than a mole of caesium when giving away its electrons.

References

  1. ^ Science in Focus, Chemistry for GCE 'O' Level by J G R Briggs; Chapter 11 pg 172. Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd 2005.
  2. ^ Longman Pocket Study Guide 'O' Level Science-Chemistry by Lim Eng Wah; Chapter 8 pg 190. Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd 2005.

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