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Homework → Science → Chemistry → Reactivity Series
Reacting metals with Oxygen, Water and acid
The reaction of metals with oxygen, water and acid varies. By studying the reactions that take place it is possible to place the metals in the "Reactivity Series", starting with the most reactive metals at the top and finishing witht he least reactive metal at the bottom. Once this table has been constructed it is then very useful as a tool to predict the result of other experiments.
| Metal (Description) | Reaction with oxygen (Burning) | Reaction with water (Hot and cold) | Reaction with dilute acid |
| Potassium (k) Cuts like cream cheese, silver/grey, stored under oil |
Oxidises very quickly in air, burns with a lilac flame | Produces hydrogen and potassium hydroxide | Far too reactive |
| Sodium (Na) Soft grey metal, cuts like cucumber, stored under oil |
Quickly oxidises in air, burns orange flame, exothermic and will react with water | Produces Sodium Hydroxide and hydrogen | Too reactive |
| Calcium (Ca) Light green nuggets, reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide (lime water) |
Forms Calcium Oxide - burns with a brick red flame | Reacts to produce hydrogen and calcium hydroxide, lime water | |
| Magnesium (Mg) Light grey, powder or ribbon, used for flares and fireworks |
Magnesium oxide (white), burns with a bright white light | Slow reaction in cold water, very reactive - producing magnesium oxide & hydrogen | Strong effevescence, producing hydrogen |
| Zinc (Zn) Light silvery grey, used to galvanise iron |
Forms Zinc Oxide (white) burns with a light blue flame | None with cold water, quite fast with hot water (steam), Zn+H2O → Zn+H | Reacts slowly to produce hydrogen |
| Iron (Fe) Light grey, strong + cheap, used for construction (strong) but needs protecting against rust |
Glows red to form Iron Oxide, dark grey | None with cold water but forms hydrated iron oxide (rust) if oxygen is present | Very slow - producing hydrogen |
| Lead (Pb) Dark grey - dense, soft, useful for roofing and piping |
Lead oxide (orange) | No reaction in cold water, in hot water - slowly forms lead salts | none |
| Copper (Cu) orange-pink, or brown, useful for piping and electrical contacts and wires |
Goes to black copper oxide | No reaction in cold water or steam | none |
| Silver (Ag) Shiny/silver-grey Gold (Au) Deep yellow, useful for jewellery & electrical contacts |
none | none | none |
The order of the reactivity series is very important and needs to be learnt. Below is a pneumonic that might help you, but you might like to make up one of your own.
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Please Sir Look Charlie Made A Concrete Zoo In The Lab However Charlie's Multicoloured Snake Got Out! |
Potassium Sodium Lithium Calcium Magnesium Aluminium Carbon Zinc Iron Tin Lead Hydrogen Copper Mercury Silver Gold |