The Reactivity Series Flashcards
What is the reactivity series in order of highest to lowest?
Potassium Sodium Calcium Magnesium Aluminium Zinc (carbon) Iron (hydrogen) Copper Tin Lead Silver Gold
What is the colour of magnesium sulphate solution?
Colourless
Colour change when iron fillings are added to copper(II) sulfate solution?
Copper sulfate solution turns from blue to pale green
Iron filling turn from grey to brown
Which metals react with cold air and how?
POTASSIUM-SILVER react slowly to form a surface layer of the metal oxide (tarnishing)
GOLD does not react
Which metals react when heated in air and how?
POTASSIUM-IRON burn in air to form oxides
TIN-COPPER form oxides without burning
SILVER AND GOLD do not react
What is the colour of the metal oxides?
POTASSIUM-ZINC have white oxides IRON has a brown (or black) oxide TIN has a black oxide LEAD has a yellow oxide COPPER has a black oxide SILVER has a brown oxide
Which metals react with dilute acid and how?
POTASSIUM AND SODIUM are explosive
CALCIUM-TIN all react with dilute hydrochloric/sulfurix acid to form hydrogen and the metal chloride/sulfate
LEAD-GOLD do not react with dilute hydrochloric acid but may be oxidised by nitric acid
Which metals react with cold water and how?
POTASSIUM-CALCIUM react to give hydrogen and form alkaline hydroxides (pot explodes, sod fizzes, cal bubbles)
MAGNESIUM reacts but very slowly
ALUMINIUM-GOLD do not react
Which metals react with steam and how?
MAGNESIUM-IRON react to give hydrogen and form metal oxide
TIN-GOLD does not react
What is another name for the reactivity series?
The electrochemical series
How do displaced metals often appear as?
Attractive crystals on the surface of the more reactive metal
Why does a more reactive metal take the oxygen when ‘competing’ with a less reactive metal?
These reactions are extremely ????
Because it combines more strongly with the oxygen
These reactions are extremely exothermic
What is the thermit reaction?
What is it used for?
The reaction of aluminium an iron oxide to form aluminium oxide and iron
It is used to weld railway lines
What affects the position of carbon and hydrogen in the reactivity series?
The temperature
What is a redox reaction?
When both reduction and oxidation are occurring.
What is oxidation?
The gain of oxygen
A substance has been oxidised if it gains oxygen
What is reduction?
The loss of oxygen
A substance has been reduced when it loses oxygen
What is a reducing agent?
A substance which reduces another substance (steals it’s oxygen)
What is an oxidising agent?
A substance which oxides another substance (it gets mugged and it’s oxygen is stolen)
Rusting is the ***** of **
The corrosion of iron
What conditions are needed for iron to rust?
What speeds up the reaction?
Oxygen and water are needed
Salt speeds up the reaction but is not essential
Why can steel rust?
It is an alloy containing iron
How can you prevent rusting?
Paint/oil/grease/plastic can be used to prevent contact with oxygen or water (barrier method)
Galvanizing iron (coating it in a layer of zinc) can be used as a sacrificial method
