THE REACTIVITY

SERIES

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Reactivity series of metals
● By comparing how easily metals react, scientists have produced an order of

reactivity for metals. This is called the reactivity series.

● Silver and Gold are not very reactive - good metals.

● Magnesium is reactive - it burns easily in air with white bright light (used in

fireworks and flares)

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● Very unreactive metals such as gold can be dug out as pure metals. They do

not form compounds easily.

● More reactive metals like calcium and aluminium are only found as compounds

in natural form

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The reactivity series of metals
Potassium
Sodium Most reactive

Calcium
Magnesium
Aluminium
Zinc
Iron
Lead
Copper
Silver
Gold Least reactive
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Metals reacting with water
● Potassium reacts violently and bursts into flames as the hydrogen produced
catches fire
● Potassium + water potassium hydroxide + hydrogen

2K + 2H2O 2KOH + H2

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Metals reacting with oxygen

● Sodium and potassium are shiny when freshly cut but tarnish when exposed to
air
● Magnesium burns in air with a bright flame
● When copper is heated in air, a dull grey coating of copper oxide forms on the
surface

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Displacement reaction

● A reactive metal can displace a less reactive metal from a solution of the metal.

Zinc + copper sulphate Zinc sulphate + Copper

● This type of reaction is called displacement reaction.

● Zinc is more reactive than copper and hence it can displace it.
● A metal cannot displace another metal that is more reactive.

Eg: Copper + Zinc Sulphate no reaction happens!!!!

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Questions:
1. Explain the products you would get when zinc and magnesium are placed in copper
sulphate at the same time.
2. Arrange these metals in the decreasing order of their reactivity

Sodium, Gold, Magnesium, Iron, Silver

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Extraction of Metals

Some metals are unreactive and found as pure samples while others are present as
Ores.

Ex : Haematite is an ore of Iron; it is mainly Iron oxide

Malachite is an ore of Copper; it mainly contains Copper carbonate

Bauxite is an ore of Aluminium; it is mainly Aluminium oxide

Galena is an ore of lead; it is mainly Lead sulphide

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Extracting metals from their ores
There are two main stages in obtaining a pure sample of the metal.

1. Mining the metal ore

2. Extracting the metal from the ore.

For all ores, mining is very similar!

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Mining of the ores
The rocks containing the ores have to be obtained
from underground

The rocks are dug out in large areas called

Quarries

Once the ore is taken from the rocks, it has to be

physically separated from other waste rock

This will give a concentrated sample of ore

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Extracting the metal

● Extracting the metal from the ore requires a chemical reaction and the

principles of reactivity are used

● Carbon is used in the extraction of metals as it is very cheap and is readily

available as coal or charcoal.

● All metals are valuable resources and hence it is not sensible to use one metal to

extract another metal!

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Extracting copper with carbon

● Carbon when reacted with compounds formed by metals below its reactivity series, displaces it.

● The ore malachite contains copper carbonate

● When it is heated it decomposes to copper oxide .

● This copper oxide when reacted with carbon, gives pure copper

● Copper oxide + Carbon Copper + Carbon dioxide

● 2CuO + C 2Cu + CO2

● This reaction does not happen at room temperature

● It requires strong heating to start the reaction

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Extracting copper with carbon

● The reaction should happen away from oxygen as the hot metal can combine with
oxygen to give back copper oxide.
● In laboratory, copper compound is mixed with

charcoal and covered with a layer of coal to

keep oxygen out or by using crucible lid.

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Extracting copper with carbon
● On industrial scale, this happens inside a blast furnace - temperature is 1500 oC
● Coke , a pure sample of carbon is used to extract copper or iron
● The extraction of metal is a type of reduction reaction where the metal oxide is
broken down to give metal and oxygen.
● Here carbon acts as the reducing agent.

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Extracting with electricity

● A metal ore is a compound formed between a metal and a non-metal.

● When an electric current is passed through a molten sample of such a

compound (called as the electrolyte) it can be split up to give the metal.

● Electrodes are needed to pass current.

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Extracting with electricity

● These electrodes are made of graphite - a special type of carbon that can

conduct electricity.

● Carbon is used because it is less reactive than the metal being produced.

● Once attached to the electrical supply, the electrodes become charged and

then they are placed in the electrolyte. The circuit is complete and metal is

reduced.

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Industrial scale extraction of Aluminium

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Industrial scale extraction of Aluminium

● Melting the metal ore requires high temperature and therefore the whole

system is encased in steel.

● Several electrodes are used so that more current can be passed.

● To give maximum surface area, the vessel is lined with negative electrode.

● As aluminium is separated, it falls to the bottom and is removed

● The oxygen from bauxite form molecules of oxygen gas and escape out at the

positive electrodes
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Disadvantages of industrial scale electrolysis of aluminium

● Huge amounts of electricity is used making the process expensive.

● Generating electricity by burning fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases such

as Carbon dioxide causing greenhouse effect and global warming.

● At very high temperatures, the oxygen produced at positive electrode reacts

with carbon from the electrodes giving carbon dioxide.

● This damages the electrode and large amounts of waste gas is produced.

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Summary of extraction
Potassium
Sodium Extracted using electrolysis
Calcium
Magnesium
Aluminium
Zinc Extracted by heating with carbon
Iron
Lead
Copper
Found as the element, do not require
Silver extraction

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Properties of metals

● They are malleable ( easy to shape when hit with a hammer)

● They are ductile (can be pulled into thin strands like wires)
● They are sonorous (makes a ringing sound when you hit them)
● They conduct heat and electricity
● They are hard

The only magnetic materials are the metals (iron, cobalt, nickel)

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Metallic Bonding

● When metal atoms bond together, they are held tightly by electrons.

● These electrons come from the outer shell of the metal atoms and hold the

atoms like glue.

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