Zhi Heng

Reactivity Series
and
Displacement
 Table of Contents

Reactivity Reactions of
Series Metals

Deducing the Displacement

Reactivity Reactions
 Reaction with …
Metal
Cold Water Acid Oxygen

Most Reactive

Potassium Reacts violently

Sodium Reacts quickly Reacts violently Reacts quickly in air

Lithium Reacts less strongly

Calcium
Reacts vigorously
Magnesium Slow reaction( reacts with steam ) Reacts readily

Aluminium Reacts readily

Carbon ( for comparison)

Zinc

Iron
Very slow reaction( reacts slowly with steam Reacts less strongly Reacts
)
Tin

Lead

Hydrogen ( for comparison )

Copper

Mercury Reacts
No reaction with water or steam No reaction
Silver

Gold No reaction

Least Reactive
 02
Reactions of
Metals
When metals react with many different
types of material
 Reactions of Metals
Reactions Reactions
with Water with Steam

Reactions Reactions with

with Acid Oxygen
 With Water
The more reactive metals will react with cold water
Reactions
to form a metal hydroxide and hydrogen gas
with Steam
metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen

Reactions Reactions with

For example, calcium and potassium:
Ca (s) + 2H O (l) → Ca(OH) (aq) + H (g)
with AcidK (s) + H O (l) → KOH (aq) Oxygen
2 2 2

2 + H (g) 2
 With Steam
Reactions
Metals just below calcium in the reactivity series do not
react with cold water but will react with steam to form a
with Steam metal oxide and hydrogen gas

metal + steam → metal oxide + hydrogen

ReactionsFor example, magnesium:

Reactions with
with Mg
Acid
(s) + H O (g) → MgO (s) +Oxygen
2 H (g) 2
 With Acid
Only metals above hydrogen in the reactivity series
Reactions Reactions
will react with acids. The more reactive the metal then the

with Steam with Acid

more vigorous the reaction will be

metal + acid → salt + hydrogen

Reactions with
For example, with sulfuric acid and nitric acid:

Oxygen
Mg (s) + H2SO4 (aq) → MgSO4 (aq) + H2 (g)
Zn (s) + 2HNO3 (aq) → Zn(NO3)2 (aq) + H2 (g)
 With Oxygen
Reactions Reactions
Some reactive metals, such as the alkali metals,
react easily with oxygen. When metals react with oxygen,
with Steama metal oxide is formedwith Acid
metal + oxygen → metal oxide
Reactions with
For example, copper:
Oxygen2Cu (s) + O2 (g) → 2CuO (s)
 03
Deducing the
Reactivity
Ways to deduce the reactivity of
different metals
 These Are Three Ideas

VIGOROUSNES ELECTRONS TEMPERATUR

S
The more vigorous the Metal atoms form positive
reaction of the metal, the ions by loss of electrons
higher up the reactivity series when they react with other
the metal is substances.
The tendency of a metal to
lose electrons is a measure of
how reactive the metal is
E
Temperature change in a
reaction can also be used to
determine the order of
reactivity.
The greater the temperature
change in a reaction
involving a metal, the more
reactive the metal is
 04
Displacement
Reactions
“Survival of the FITTEST in Chemistry”
 Displacement Reaction
Any metal will displace
another metal that is below it
in the reactivity series from a
solution of one of its salts
The less reactive metal is a better
electron acceptor than the more reactive
metal, thus the less reactive metal is
reduced.
(OIL-RIG: reduction is gain of electrons)

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

This is because more reactive Hence metal is displaced
metals lose electrons and form and displacement reaction
ions more readily than less successfully occurs
reactive metals, making them
better reducing agents
 For Example

Mg

Magnesium
> Cu

Copper

Magnesium is more reactive than Copper

Mg (s) + CuSO4 (aq) → MgSO4 (aq) + Cu (s)
Magnesium loses its electrons more easily and
the ion of the less reactive metal, copper, will
gain these electrons to form elemental copper

This is easily seen as the more reactive metal

slowly disappears from the solution, displacing
the less reactive metal

The blue colour of the CuSO4 solution fades as

colourless magnesium sulfate solution is formed

Copper coats the surface of the magnesium

and also forms solid metal which falls to the
bottom of the beaker
Thank
You