Reactivity Series Quiz

Understanding the Reactivity Series in Chemistry

• The reactivity series is a progression of metals arranged by their "reactivity" from highest to lowest, used to summarize information about their reactions with acids, water, and extraction from ores.
• Metals are ranked according to their reactivity, with the most reactive at the top and least reactive at the bottom, and the series is a grouping of metals in decreasing reactivity order.
• Metals' reactivity is caused by their electrical structure or outer orbitals, with higher atomic number metals being more reactive because their electrons are farther away from the nucleus and easier to remove.
• Metals ranging from potassium to calcium are highly reactive, while copper to platinum are unreactive and do not react with any other substance.
• Oxides are widely produced by metals such as zinc, aluminum, magnesium, and calcium, while platinum and gold are corrosion-resistant and do not produce oxides.
• Hydrogen is included in the reactivity series to help compare metal reactivity, and metals are divided depending on their reactions to cold water, hot water, acid, steam, and concentrated mineral acids.
• The reactivity series has various essential applications, including predicting the outcomes of reactions between metals and acids, metals and water, and single displacement reactions between metals.
• The series can also determine a metal's reactivity to water and acids and whether a metal can displace another in a single displacement reaction.
• The top of the reactivity scale has highly electropositive metals, with reducing power and the ability to extract hydrogen from hydrides decreasing as we advance through the series.
• Metals at the top of the reactivity series can remove metals from their salts towards the bottom of the series, and the electron-donating ability of metals decreases as we proceed through the series.
• Metals ranging from zinc to mercury may be recovered by reducing their oxides, and metals higher in the series can be removed using electrolysis.
• The reactivity series is used in real life to predict reactions between metals and acids, water, and single displacement reactions, and to determine metal reactivity to water and acids.