In chemistry, a reactivity series (or activity series) is an empirical, calculated, and structurally analytical progression[1] of a series of metals, arranged by their "reactivity" from highest to

.[2][3][4] It is used to summarize information about the reactions of metals with acids and water, double displacement reactions and the extraction of metals from their ores.

Going from the bottom to the top of the table the metals:

increase in reactivity;

lose electrons (oxidize) more readily to form positive ions;

corrode or tarnish more readily;

require more energy (and different methods) to be isolated from their compounds;

become stronger reducing agents (electrondonors).There is no unique and fully consistent way to define the reactivity series, but it is common to use the three[not in citation given] types of reaction listed below, many of which can be performed in a high-school laboratory (at least as demonstrations).[5]

Reaction with water and acidsEdit

The most reactive metals, such as sodium, will react with cold water to produce hydrogenand the metal hydroxide:

2 Na (s) + 2 H2O (l) →2 NaOH (aq) + H2 (g)

Metals in the middle of the reactivity series, such as iron, will react with acids such as sulfuric acid (but not water at normal temperatures) to give hydrogen and a metal salt, such as iron(II) sulfate:

Fe (s) + H2SO4 (l) → FeSO4 (aq) + H2 (g)

There is some ambiguity at the borderlines between the groups. Magnesium, aluminiumand zinc can react with water, but the reaction is usually very slow unless the metal samples are specially prepared to remove the surface layer of oxide which protects the rest of the metal. Copper and silver will react with nitric acid; but because nitric acid is an oxidizing acid, the oxidizing agent is not the H+ ion as in normal acids, but the NO3− ion.

Single displacement reactionsEdit

An iron nail placed in a solution of copper sulfate will quickly change colour as metallic copper is deposited and the iron is converted into iron(II) sulfate:

Fe (s) + CuSO4 (aq) → Cu (s) + FeSO4 (aq)

In general, a metal can displace any of the metals which are lower in the reactivity series: the higher metal reduces the ions of the lower metal. This is used in the thermite reaction for preparing small quantities of metallic iron, and in the Kroll process for preparing titanium(Ti comes at about the same level as Al in the reactivity series). For example, aluminium will reduce iron(III) oxide to iron, becoming aluminium oxide in the process:

2Al (s) + Fe2O3 (s) → 2Fe (s) + Al2O3 (s)

Similarly, magnesium can be used to extract titanium from titanium tetrachloride, forming magnesium chloride in the process:

2 Mg (s) + TiCl4 (l) → Ti (s) + 2 MgCl2 (s)

However, other factors can come into play, such as in the preparation of metallic potassium by the reduction of potassium chloride with sodium at 850 °C. Although sodium is lower than potassium in the reactivity series, the reaction can proceed because potassium is more volatile, and is distilled off from the mixture.

Na (g) + KCl (l) → K (g) + NaCl (l)

In chemistry, a reactivity series (or activity series) is an empirical, calculated, and structurally analytical progression of a series of metals, arranged by their "reactivity" from highest to lowest. It is used to summarize information about the reactions of metals with acids and water, double displacement reactions and the extraction of metals from their ores.

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