What are the features of a metal reactivity series ? How is this series useful ?
Answers
Answer:
The metal reactivity series is a commonly taught concept in chemistry, placing the metals, as its name suggests, in order of reactivity from most reactive to least reactive. It’s also a useful tool in predicting the products of simple displacement reactions involving two different metals, as well as providing an insight into why different metals are extracted from their ores in different manners. This graphic places a selection of common metals into order of reactivity, as well as showing their reactions with air, water and steam.
Metals have a range of reactivities – to
illustrate this, you have to look no further
than the classic alkali metals in water
demonstration commonly used in
chemistry classes. In this demonstration,
small pieces of three different metals
from group 1 of the periodic table are dropped into a large bowl of water.
Lithium fizzes gently, sodium fizzes
Answer:
The data provided by the reactivity series can be used to predict whether a metal can displace another in a single displacement reaction. It can also be used to obtain information on the reactivity of metals towards water and acids. A chart of the reactivity series of common metals is provided below.