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Chemical Changes

The reactivity series

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 1

Overview

Metals forming positive ions and reactivity as the tendency to do so, the series from potassium to copper with hydrogen and carbon for comparison, displacement reactions, ordering metals by their reactions with water and dilute acid in a fair test, and why potassium reacts more vigorously than magnesium.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What kind of ion does a metal atom form when it reacts with another substance?

Key term

List potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and copper in order from most reactive to least reactive.

Key term

Which two non-metals are often placed in the reactivity series?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What kind of ion does a metal atom form when it reacts with another substance?

    Model answer

    A positively charged ion.

  2. 2

    What is the reactivity of a metal related to?

    Model answer

    Its tendency to lose electrons and form positive ions.

  3. 3

    List potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and copper in order from most reactive to least reactive.

    Model answer

    Potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper.

  4. 4

    Which two non-metals are often placed in the reactivity series?

    Model answer

    Hydrogen and carbon.

  5. 5

    Why is carbon included in the reactivity series?

    Model answer

    So that metals can be compared with it, which shows whether carbon can take the oxygen from a metal oxide.

  6. 6

    Why is hydrogen included in the reactivity series?

    Model answer

    So that metals can be compared with it, which shows whether a metal will react with a dilute acid to release hydrogen.

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ALithium compounds produce a crimson flame.
BSodium compounds produce a yellow flame.
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Base means any substance that neutralises an acid.
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