07/03/12

Reactivity of Metals
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Reactions of metals with oxygen
When a metal reacts with oxygen it will form a METAL
OXIDE. This is what happens when a metal rusts. We can
make this reaction happen quicker by burning the metal.

METAL + OXYGEN METAL OXIDE

Copy and complete the following reactions:

• Magnesium + oxygen
• Copper + oxygen
• Calcium + oxygen
• Iron + oxygen
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Reactions of metals with water
When a metal reacts with water hydrogen is always given
off. The other product will be either a metal hydroxide or
a metal oxide.

METAL + WATER METAL OXIDE + HYDROGEN

METAL + WATER METAL HYDROXIDE + HYDROGEN

Copy and complete the following reactions:

• Sodium + water
• Potassium + water
• Calcium + water
• Iron + steam
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Reactions of metals with acids
When a metal reacts with an acid it gives off hydrogen
(which can be “popped” using a lit splint). The other
product is a salt.

METAL + ACID SALT + HYDROGEN

e.g. magnesium + hydrochloric acid magnesium chloride + hydrogen

Copy and complete the following reactions:

• Calcium + hydrochloric acid
• Zinc + hydrochloric acid
• Iron + hydrochloric acid
• Lithium + sulphuric acid

Complete the following reactions:
• Lithium + water
• Lithium + hydrochloric acid
• Silver + oxygen
• Magnesium + sulphuric acid
• Potassium + oxygen
• Aluminium + oxygen
• Manganese + water
• Sodium + sulphuric acid
• Lithium + oxygen
• Nickel + hydrochloric acid
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Lithium hydroxide + hydrogen
Lithium chloride + hydrogen
Silver oxide
Magnesium sulphate + hydrogen
Potassium oxide
Aluminium oxide
Manganese oxide + hydrogen
Sodium sulphate + hydrogen
Lithium oxide
Nickel chloride + hydrogen
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An example question on reactivity
Metal Reaction with Reaction Reaction
dilute acid with water with oxygen
Some reaction Slow reaction Burns brightly
A

No reaction No reaction Reacts slowly

B

No reaction No reaction No reaction

C

Violent reaction Slow reaction Burns brightly

D

Reasonable Reacts with Reacts slowly

E reaction steam only
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The Reactivity Series

Potassium
Sodium
Calcium
Magnesium

The Reactivity Series lists Aluminium

metals in order of reactivity: Carbon
Zinc
Iron
Lead
Copper
Silver
Gold
 Displacement reactions
07/03/12

A displacement reaction is one where a MORE REACTIVE metal will

DISPLACE a LESS REACTIVE metal from a compound.

Magnesium Copper sulphate

Mg Cu SO4

The magnesium
DISPLACES the copper
from copper sulphate

Mg SO4 Cu

Magnesium sulphate Copper

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Displacement reactions
A displacement reaction is one where a MORE REACTIVE
metal will DISPLACE a LESS REACTIVE metal from a
compound.

For example, if you drop some magnesium into copper

sulphate a reaction will happen because magnesium is more
reactive than copper, so the reaction is:

Magnesium + copper sulphate copper + magnesium sulphate

However, if you drop some copper into magnesium sulphate

NOTHING will happen.
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Some example reactions…

Reaction Prediction Observations

Zinc + copper sulphate

Zinc + lead nitrate

Copper + lead nitrate

Copper + silver nitrate

Extension work – write down the equations for these

reactions
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Some example reactions…

Reaction Prediction Observations

Zinc + copper sulphate Reaction DID happen

Zinc + lead nitrate Reaction DID happen

Copper + lead nitrate Reaction DID NOT

happen

Copper + silver nitrate Reaction DID happen

Extension work – write down the equations for these

reactions
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Extracting Metals
Some definitions:

A METAL ORE is a mineral or mixture of minerals from

which it is “economically practical” to extract some
metal.

Most ores contain METAL OXIDES (e.g. rust = iron

oxide).

To “extract” a metal from a metal oxide we need to

REDUCE the oxygen. This is called a REDUCTION
reaction.
 How do we do it? 07/03/12

Potassium
Sodium
Metals ABOVE CARBON, because
Calcium
of their high reactivity, are
Magnesium extracted by ELECTROLYSIS
Aluminium
Carbon
Metals BELOW CARBON are
Zinc extracted by heating them with
Iron carbon in a BLAST FURNACE
Tin
Lead
Copper These LOW REACTIVITY metals
blatantly won’t need to be extracted
Silver
because they are SO unreactive you’ll
Gold find them on their own, not in a metal
Platinum oxide
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Extracting metals
• What is an ore?
• In what form are metals usually found in the Earth?
• How do you get a metal out of a metal oxide?
• What is this type of reaction called?

Type of metal Extraction process Examples

High reactivity (i.e

anything above carbon)

Middle reactivity (i.e.

anything below carbon)

Low reactivity
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The Blast Furnace

1) HAEMATITE (iron ore),
limestone and coke (carbon) are
fed in here

2) Hot air is
3) The carbon reacts with
blasted in
oxygen from the air to form
here
carbon dioxide.
4) The carbon dioxide reacts
with more carbon to form
carbon monoxide

6) Molten slag 5) Carbon monoxide reduces

(waste) is iron oxide to iron. The
tapped off here molten iron is tapped off here

Iron oxide + carbon monoxide iron + carbon dioxide

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Electrolysis

Molecule of solid
copper chloride

Molecule of solid
copper chloride after
being dissolved
Chloride Copper
ion ion
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Electrolysis
Electrolysis is used to extract a HIGHLY REACTIVE metal.

When we electrolysed
copper chloride the
negative chloride ions
moved to the positive
electrode and the positive
copper ions moved to the
negative electrode –
OPPOSITES ATTRACT!!!

= chloride ion

= copper ion
 Redox reactions 07/03/12

These happen during electrolysis:

At the positive electrode the
negative ions LOSE electrons to
become neutral – this is
OXIDATION
At the negative electrode the
positive ions GAIN electrons to
become neutral – this is
REDUCTION
These two processes are
called REDOX REACTIONS

OILRIG – Oxidation Is Loss of electrons

Reduction Is Gain of electrons
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Purifying
Aluminium

Aluminium has to be extracted from its ore (called ________) by

electrolysis. This is because aluminium is very ___________. The
ore is mixed with cryolite to lower its ________ ________. The ore
is then melted so that the ions can ______. The positively charged
aluminium ions gather at the ___________ electrode. Oxygen forms
at the positive electrode and causes it to wear away, which means that
they have to be __________ frequently.

Words – melting point, replaced, negative, bauxite, reactive, move

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Rusting Experiment

RUST NO RUST – NO RUST –

no water no oxygen
 Rusting
07/03/12

Rust is formed when iron reacts with water AND oxygen.

It’s an example of an oxidation reaction which can be
sped up using salt. There are several ways of dealing
with rust:
• Regular painting or oiling
• Galvanising – this is when iron objects are coated with
zinc
• Making objects out of a non-rusting metal, such as
stainless steel
• Attaching zinc bars to ships – the water will react
with the zinc before it reacts with the iron, because
zinc is more reactive