In this way, hydrogen is considered relatively more reactive in some conditions and somewhat less in others. In this way, iron comes on a rather middle area on the reactivity series.Īlthough hydrogen has a single electron in its valence shell, it readily loses its electron during a chemical reaction with other substances. Whereas in general, iron is relatively less reactive in comparison to sodium and potassium. For instance, when iron reacts with acids. In some situations, iron is highly reactive. Iron is considered an ordinarily reactive metal. This reactivity level of zinc makes it a part of the top one on the reactivity series. This makes zinc relatively more reactive than other metals such as copper and hydrogen, which lose their electron quite slowly than zinc. The valence shell of zinc contains two electrons and zinc readily gives up those electrons during a chemical reaction with other substances. Magnesium readily losses its outer shell electrons when it reacts with other substances this is why magnesium is considered a highly reactive metal and comes on the top of the reactivity series. This happens because of the loss of electrons during the chemical reactions, placing calcium on top of the reactivity series. It immediately forms a greyish layer of nitrate and oxide. When exposed to air, calcium tends to be very reactive. In its isolated form, Calcium is considered one of the most reactive metals. Sodium loses its outer shell electron very readily. Sodium is a highly reactive metal which is why it is not easily found in its pure form. Sodium ranks after potassium on the reactivity series list. This high reactivity level of Potassium makes it stand on top of the reactivity series. Instead, other substances containing potassium can be found. This is why pure potassium is rather difficult to find. Potassium reacts quite violently when exposed to other substances, including water or oxygen. Potassium is considered a highly reactive metal. Let’s see how different metals are more reactive than others which determines their placement on the reactivity series. So, metals that have high atomic numbers will be more reactive and will be prone to losing electrons easily. Thus, with very small changes, the atoms in the elements tend to lose electrons quickly. Furthermore, reactivity is also known as activity series, and the main reason why this phenomenon is actively found in metals is that the outer orbitals in these elements are incomplete. The first thing you have to remember is that the reactivity is only observed in metals and not in any other elements that are present in the periodic table. The reactivity series is a periodic trend that explains how the reactivity of various elements decreases or increases from horizontal to vertical in the modern periodic table. This helps you understand the reactivity series in more detail. Do you know the reactivity of copper or aluminium? Do you know which element reacts with which substance?Īnswers to these questions can be found easily with the help of the reactivity series, which will explain how the element’s reactivity varies to its group, atomic number, and mass.
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