2 Reactivity series Flashcards
What is the reactivity series?
Potassium
Sodium
Lithium
Calcium
Magnesium
Aluminium
Manganese
Zinc
Iron
Hydrogen
Copper
How do you read the reactivity series?
From the bottom upwards. The elements at the bottom are less reactive than the ones at the top.
What are some displacement reactions involving metal oxides?
- The reaction between magnesium and copper (II) oxide.
- The reaction between magnesium and zinc oxide.
- The reaction between carbon and copper(II) oxide.
What is the apparatus needed for the reaction between magnesium and copper (II) oxide?
What is step 1 of this reaction between magnesium and copper (II) oxide?
Magnesium powder and copper (II) oxide are mixed together and heated very strongly.
What is step 2 of this reaction between magnesium and copper (II) oxide?
At the end, traces of white magnesium oxide are left on the ceramic paper.
What is the word equation for the reaction between magnesium and copper (II) oxide?
Magnesium + copper(II) oxide –> magnesium oxide + copper
What is the symbol equation for the reaction between magnesium and copper (II) oxide?
Mg + CuO —> MgO + Cu
What kind of reaction is this one between magnesium and copper (II) oxide?
Displacement reaction.
Why is this a displacement reaction?
The less reactive metal, copper, has
been displaced from its compound by the more reactive magnesium.
How does displacement work?
Any metal higher in the reactivity series will displace one lower down from a compound.
What would happen if you heated copper with magnesium oxide?
Nothing would happen because
copper is less reactive than magnesium.
What does it mean in terms of displacement if copper is less reactive than magnesium?
Copper isn’t capable of displacing magnesium from magnesium oxide
What happens during the reaction between magnesium and zinc oxide?
Heating magnesium with zinc oxide produces zinc metal.
What is the word equation for the reaction between magnesium and zinc oxide?
Magnesium + Zinc oxide —> Magnesium oxide + zinc
What is the symbol equation for the reaction between magnesium and zinc oxide?
Mg + ZnO —> MgO + Zn
What is the reaction between carbon and copper (II) oxide?
A black mixture of carbon and copper (II) oxide is heated in a test-tube.
What is observeable during the reaction between carbon and copper (II) oxide?
The mixture glows red hot.
Why does the mixture glow red hot?
Because of the heat given out during the reaction.
What happens to the copper?
It is left at the bottom of the tube.
What colour is the copper in the tube?
Pink-brown.
What is the symbol equation for the reaction between carbon and copper (II) oxide?
C + 2CuO —> CO2 + 2Cu
What is an explanation of this equation for the reaction between carbon and copper (II) oxide?
Carbon is above copper in the reactivity series and displaces the copper from copper (II) oxide.
What does it mean if a substance has been oxidised?
It has gained oxygen.
What is oxidation?
Gain of oxygen or loss of electrons.
What does it mean if a substance has been reduced?
It has lost oxygen.
What is reduction?
Loss of oxygen or gain of electrons.
What is an image that shows what happens in terms of oxidation and reduction using the reaction between magnesium and copper oxide?
What is a redox reaction?
Reduction and oxidation. A redox reaction involves both reduction and oxidation occurring together.
Why do oxidation and reduction always occur together?
Oxidation and reduction always occur together because if something loses
oxygen, something else must gain it.
What is a reducing agent?
Something that reduces something else by giving electrons to it. A reducing agent is oxidised in a chemical reaction.
What is the reducing agent in this equation using the reaction between magnesium and copper oxide?
Magnesium.
Why is magnesium the reducing agent?
The magnesium is the reducing agent because it takes the oxygen away
from the copper oxide, reducing it.
What is an oxidising agent?
Something that oxidises something else by taking electrons away from it. An oxidising agent is reduced in a chemical reaction.
What is the oxidising agent in this equation using the reaction between magnesium and copper oxide?
Copper oxide.
Why is copper oxide the oxidising agent?
The copper(II) oxide is the oxidising agent in this reaction because it gives
oxygen to the magnesium, oxidising it.
What always happens to the oxidising agent?
An oxidising agent always gets reduced in a chemical reaction because it
oxidises something else by giving away its oxygen.
What always happens to the reducing agent?
A reducing agent always gets oxidised in a chemical reaction because it takes
the oxygen away from something else and therefore gains oxygen itself.
What is the reducing agent in the reaction between magnesium and copper oxide?
Magnesium.
What is the oxidising agent in the reaction between magnesium and copper oxide?
Zinc oxide.
What happens in the reaction between magnesium and copper (II) oxide in terms of the various particles involved?
The magnesium and the copper are metals, are are made of metal atoms, but the copper{II) oxide and the magnesium oxide are both ionic compounds.
What ions does copper (II) oxide contain?
Cu2+ and O2-
What ions does magnesium oxide contain?
Mg2+ and O2-
How could we write these ions into the equation?
Mg + Cu2+ + O2- —> Mg2+ + O2- + Cu
What happens to the oxide ion (O2-) in this reaction?
The oxide ion (O2-) does not change in this reaction. It ends up with a different
partner, but is totally unchanged itself.
What is happening in terms of the magnesium atoms in this reaction?
The magnesium atoms are turning into magnesium ions.
How does the transition between atoms to ions happen?
The magnesium atoms lose electrons to form magnesium ions.
What happens to these electrons?
These electrons are gained by the copper ions to form copper atoms
What kind of reaction is this?
We have described this as a redox reaction above in terms of loss/gain of oxygen, but now we can see that it was not the oxygen that was actually the important part, it has not changed.
How can we understand what is happening better on a molecular level?
We need the most fundamental definition of oxidation and reduction.
What is the most fundamental definition of oxidation?
Oxidation is loss of electrons.
What is the most fundamental definition of reduction?
Reduction is gain of electrons.
What is a mnemonic that can help us remember the fundamental definition of oxidation and reduction?
OILRIG
What do these letters stand for?
Oxidation
Is
Loss of electrons
Reduction
Is
Gain of electrons
What are some examples of salts?
Salts are compounds such as copper (II) sulfate, silver nitrate or sodium chloride.
What reactions will we look at?
We will explore some reactions between metals and solutions of salts in water.
What is an example of a reaction between metals and solutions of salts in water?
The reaction between zinc and copper (II) sulfate solution.
What type of reaction is the one between zinc and copper (II) sulfate solution?
A displacement reaction.
Which metal is displaced?
The copper is displaced by the more reactive zinc.
What is an observation that can be made during the reaction between zinc and copper (II) sulfate solution?
The blue colour of the copper (II) sulfate solution fades as colourless zinc sulfate is formed.
What is the symbol equation for the reaction between zinc and Copper (II) sulfate?
Zn(s) + CuSO4 (aq) -+ ZnS4,(aq) + Cu(s)
Which are the metals consisting simply of atoms?
The zinc and the copper.
Which are the metal compounds that are ionic?
Copper(II) sulfate and the zinc sulfate.
How can the equation showcasing the reaction between zinc and copper (II) sulfate be re-written to show the ions?
Zn + Cu2+ + SO42- —> Zn2+ + SO42- + Cu
What is special about the sulfate ions in this reaction?
We can see that the sulfate ions are exactly the same on both sides of the
equation - they have not changed at all in the reaction.
What is the name given to these sulfate ions, as they haven’t changed at all?
Spectator ions.
What do we do to these spectator ions?
We remove them from the ionic equation.
What does the proper ionic equation look like (without the spectator ions)?
Zn + Cu2+ —> Zn2+ + Cu
What does an ionic equation show?
It shows the things that change in the reaction.
What is the name of this kind of reaction?
Redox reaction.
What is an image that shows how the equation between zinc and copper(II) sulfate is a redox reaction?
What happens to the Zn atoms?
They are oxidised to Zn2+ ions.
Why are they oxidised to Zn2+ ions?
Because they lose electrons.
What happens to the Cu2+ ions?
They are reduced to Cu atoms.
Why are they reduced to Cu atoms?
Because they gain electrons.
What can we do to the ionic equation?
We can split up the ionic equation to show the individual oxidation and reduction processes.
How can we split this ionic equation to show oxidation?
Zn —> Zn2+ + 2e-
How can we split this ionic equation to show reduction?
Cu2+ + 2e- —> Cu
What are these equations called?
Ionic half-equations.
What do ionic hal-equations focus on showing?
they show one of the processes (either oxidation or reduction) occuring in the reaction.
What is the correlation between oxidation and reduction?
In reality, these processes cannot occur one without the other: if something gains electrons, it has to get them from somewhere, so something else must lose electrons.
What is the definition of an oxidising agent in terms of electrons?
An oxidising agent is something that oxidises something else by taking
electrons away from it. Oxidising agents accept electrons and therefore are reduced in a reaction.
What is the definition of a reducing agent in terms of electrons?
A reducing agent is something that reduces something else by giving
electrons to it. Reducing agents give away electrons and therefore are
oxidised in a reaction.
What is the overall ionic equation for the displacement reaction between zinc and copper ions?
Zn + Cu2+ —> Zn2+ + Cu
What is the reducing agent in this equation for the displacement reaction between zinc and copper ions?
The Zn reduces the Cu2+ by giving electrons to it and therefore the Zn is the reducing agent.
What is oxidised in this reaction between zinc and copper ions?
In the process of the reaction the Zn is oxidised because it has given electrons away (lost them).
What is the oxidising agent in this equation for the displacement reaction between zinc and copper ions?
The Cu2+ oxidises the Zn by taking electrons away from it, therefore Cu2+ is the oxidising agent.
What is reduced in this reaction between zinc and copper ions?
In the process the Cu2+ is reduced because it has taken electrons (gained them).
What happens in the reaction between copper and silver nitrate solution?
Silver is below copper in the reactivity series, so a coil of copper wire in silver nitrate solution will produce metallic silver.