$@Knowledge organizer Test Reactivity

• Explosions are sudden increases in volume of gases and a huge transfer of energy to the
surroundings.
• Exothermic reaction: a reaction during which energy is transferred from the reaction to the
surroundings. There is a temperature increase. Many exothermic reactions need a small amount of
energy (e.g. a spark or a flame) to get them started such as burning of methane gas – see reaction
below:

• Endothermic reaction; a reaction during which energy is transferred from the surroundings to the
reaction. There is a temperature decrease.
• Physical change:
o No new substance is made
o Examples: any change of state
• Chemical change:
o New substance made,
o temperature change
o Neutralization reaction
o Combustion, thermal decomposition (breaking down of a compound using heat),
• Chemical reaction: atoms in the reactants are rearranged to form new products.

Word equation

• Pressure of a gas is caused by the particles of the gas colliding with the walls of the container and
causing a force on them. The pressure of a gas changes when:
o The number of particles increases
o The temperature increases
o The volume of gas decreases (smaller container)

ATOMS
• In atoms the number of protons and electrons are the same.
• Mass number = number of protons and number of neutrons
• Atomic number = number of protons
• Number of electrons = mass number – atomic number
Charge Mass
proton +1 1
electron -1 No mass
neutron No charge 1

METALS

• Examples of metals and their symbols

Metal Symbol
iron Fe
magnesium Mg
copper Cu
zinc Zn
Aluminium Al
•
• REACIVITY SERIES = list of metals arranged in order of reactivity with most reactive at the top. We use
reactivity series to predict if a reaction involving 2 metals will take place or not.
• More reactive metals will take the place of a less reactive metal in a compound and a reaction will be
observed.
• REACTIONS OF METALS:
o Metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen
o Metal + acid → salt + water
o Metal + oxygen → metal oxide

REDOX

• Oxidation = reaction in which a substance gains oxygen. A reactant that gives a substance oxygen is
a called an oxidizing agent. Oxidizing agents such as potassium manganate release oxygen and are
used in explosives.
• Reduction = a reaction during which a substance loses oxygen. A reactant that takes oxygen away
from another substance is a reducing agent.
• Redox is a reaction in which both an oxidation and reduction place.

TESTS FOR GASES

• Tests for gases:

o Oxygen: relights a glowing splint
o Hydrogen: pops when a lit splint is used
o Carbon dioxide: when bubbled in lime water causes the lime water to go cloudy.
• Surface area: Chemical reaction take place on the surface of solids. Smaller pieces of a solid have a
larger surface area then one large piece so more reactions can take place.
• Displacement reaction: a more reactive metal takes the place of a less reactive metal in a compound.
•

EXTRACTION OF METALS

• We can use displacement reactions to get metals from their ores, an ore is a rock that has enough of
a metal to make it worth mining.
• Some metals are found native i.e. pure in nature, metals such as platinum, gold, silver
• More reactive metals such iron, zinc lead are found as oxides. The metals can be obtained by reacting
the oxides such as iron oxide with carbon which is more reactive than the metals and displaces it
from oxide:
Iron oxide + carbon → iron + carbon dioxide

The iron is reduced by the reducing agent carbon; iron oxide acts as the oxidizing agent as it
gives its oxygen to the carbon.

• Very reactive metals such as aluminum need a more powerful method of reduction to remove
oxygen.
• Electrolysis uses electricity to obtain reactive metals from their compounds. The electricity splits the
compound to obtain the metal. An example is alumunium extracted from aluminium oxide

Aluminium oxide → aluminium + oxygen