Reactivity Series Flashcards
Displacement reactions of metals
More reactive metals displace less reactive ones from their compound.
e.g Zinc + Copper Nitrate → Zinc nitrate + copper
Potassium, Sodium, Lithium, Calcium, Magnesium, Aluminium, CARBON, Zinc, Iron, Copper, HYDROGEN, Silver, Gold, platinum
[people say little children make a coughing zebra ill, constantly hungry sniffing giraffes]
Reactions of metal with water
metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen
e.g potassium + water → potassium hydroxide + hydrogen
Potassium: violently
Sodium: very quickly
Lithium: quickly
Calcium: more slowly
Magnesium reacts with steam
Reactions of metals with dilute acid
Product is a salt and hydrogen
e.g magnesium + sulphuric acid → magnesium sulphate + hydrogen
Magnesium: instantly Aluminium: (hard to place as protective oxide layer makes it less reactive) Zinc: more slowly Iron: slower than zinc Copper: very slowly
some metals do not react at all
Reactions of metals with oxygen
Product is a metal oxide
e.g magnesium + oxygen → magnesium oxide
2Mg + O2 → 2MgO
- Potassium, Sodium, Lithium reacts with oxygen very quickly
- Calcium, Magnesium reacts less quickly
- Metals like Copper reacts very slowly and needs to be heated continously
Under what conditions does iron rust?
What kind of reaction is this?
When it comes in contact with Oxygen + Water
This is an oxidation reaction:
Iron + oxygen + water → hydrated iron oxide
Why is the rusting prevented by grease, oil, paint, plastic and galvanising?
Because the metal has a protective layer over it and does not come in contact with air/water
What is oxidation?
Addition of oxygen
What is reduction?
Removal of oxygen