You’ll notice in the graphic that carbon and hydrogen are also shoehorned in between entries in the list, despite being non-metals.
#Cation reactivity series series#
This is illustrated below:Ĭopper sulfate + zinc → zinc sulfate + copperĪs well as helping us predict the outcomes of these reactions, the reactivity series also gives us an insight into why different metals are extracted from their ores in different ways. Conversely, if we try and react a metal compound with a metal lower in the reactivity series, no reaction will take place.
If a metal compound reacts with a metal that’s above it in the reactivity series, a displacement reaction will occur, and the more reactive metal will take the place of the less reactive metal in the compound. What use does this series have beyond ranking the reactivity of metals, though? Well, for one, it can help us predict the outcome of certain chemical reactions. The metals designated as the transition metals in the periodic table are much less reactive, and metals such as gold and platinum prop up the bottom of the series, exhibiting little in the way of chemical reaction with any everyday reagents. They’re closely followed by the marginally less reactive group two metals. Group 1 metals, the most reactive metals in the periodic table, head up the rankings. The reactivity series offers a ranking of the metals in order of their reactivity. Caesium, the most reactive metal in the periodic table, reacts extremely violently – hence why it can’t be demonstrated in a classroom! This can be compared to other common metals, such as iron and copper, which produce no reaction when dropped into water. Lithium fizzes gently, sodium fizzes vigorously, and potassium’s reaction is so energetic it bursts into a lilac flame as it zips across the water’s surface. In this demonstration, small pieces of three different metals from group 1 of the periodic table are dropped into a large bowl of water.
Metals have a range of reactivities – to illustrate this, you have to look no further than the classic alkali metals in water demonstration commonly used in chemistry classes. This graphic places a selection of common metals into order of reactivity, as well as showing their reactions with air, water and steam. It’s also a useful tool in predicting the products of simple displacement reactions involving two different metals, as well as providing an insight into why different metals are extracted from their ores in different manners. The metal reactivity series is a commonly taught concept in chemistry, placing the metals, as its name suggests, in order of reactivity from most reactive to least reactive.
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