Question

How does the metal reactivity series help to predict the products of a reaction?

Answer 1

Activity series is an empirical method which is applied to predict the following reactions:

1) displacement reactions .

2)reactivity of metals in replacement reactions like reaction with water and acids

3) and ore extraction. It can be utilized to predict the products in many reactions involving different metal elements. Activity Series Chart.

It is a form of a chart of metals listed in order of decreasing reactivity.

The metal located at the top is more reactive than the metals on the bottom.

Examples are that both magnesium and zinc can react with ionic hydrogen to displace H2 from a solution by the reactions:

-Mg(s) + 2 H+(aq) → H2(g) + Mg2+(aq)....Zn(s) + 2 H+(aq) → H2(g) + Zn2+(aq).

Both metals are found to react with the hydrogen ions, but magnesium metal additionally can also displace zinc ions by the reaction:

Mg(s) + Zn2+ → Zn(s) + Mg2+