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The Reactivity of Metals

The document discusses the reactivity of various metals, detailing how they react with oxygen, water, and dilute hydrochloric acid, with sodium being the most reactive and gold being inert. It also explains the principles of light, including its behavior in reflection and refraction, and the formation of images in a pinhole camera. Key concepts include the reactivity series of metals and the laws of reflection, highlighting differences between smooth and rough surfaces.

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4 views

The Reactivity of Metals

The document discusses the reactivity of various metals, detailing how they react with oxygen, water, and dilute hydrochloric acid, with sodium being the most reactive and gold being inert. It also explains the principles of light, including its behavior in reflection and refraction, and the formation of images in a pinhole camera. Key concepts include the reactivity series of metals and the laws of reflection, highlighting differences between smooth and rough surfaces.

Uploaded by

hudatahir834
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Reactivity of Metals

●​ In a chemical reaction, new substances are formed.


●​ Reactivity describes how easily a substance reacts with other
substances.

Sodium’s Reactivity

●​ Sodium is very reactive and must be stored under oil.


●​ It reacts quickly with water and oxygen and can catch fire.
●​ It is a soft metal that can be cut with a knife.
●​ When cut, its shiny surface quickly becomes dull because it
reacts with air.

Iron’s Reactivity

●​ Iron reacts with damp air to form rust.


●​ This reaction happens slowly, unlike sodium’s fast reaction.
●​ Some metals (like sodium) react faster than others (like iron).

Reactions of Metals with Oxygen

●​ Copper forms black powder but does not glow or burn.


●​ Iron wool glows and makes yellow sparks, leaving behind
black powder.
●​ Sodium burns with yellow flames and forms white powder.
●​ Gold does not react with oxygen, even when heated.

Reaction of Metals with Oxygen

●​ Word Equation:​
Metal + Oxygen → Metal Oxide
●​ Reactivity of Different Metals with Oxygen:
1.​ Sodium → Burns rapidly with yellow flames, forming
white sodium oxide powder.
2.​ Iron Wool → Glows and produces yellow sparks, leaving
black iron oxide powder.
3.​ Copper → Forms black copper oxide but does not glow or
burn.
4.​ Gold → No reaction, even when heated.
●​ Reactivity Order (Most to Least Reactive):​
Sodium > Iron > Copper > Gold

Reaction of Metals with Water

●​ Calcium → Sinks in water, produces bubbles of hydrogen slowly


at first, then faster. Water turns cloudy due to calcium
hydroxide.
●​ Copper → No reaction.
●​ Sodium → Floats, fizzes, and produces hydrogen bubbles. May
move on the water’s surface and burst into flames. Forms
sodium hydroxide.
●​ Iron → No reaction in water.
●​ Magnesium → Reacts very slowly, forming magnesium
hydroxide.
●​ Potassium → Floats and bursts into flames immediately,
producing hydrogen and forming potassium hydroxide.
●​ Reactivity Order: (Most to Least Reactive in Water):​
Potassium > Sodium > Calcium > Magnesium > Iron > Copper
●​ Word Equation:​
Metal + water → Metal Hydroxide+hydrogen
●​ To observe earlier observations, an indicator called
phenolphthalein, which changes color from colourless to pink
when a metal has reacted with water to produce the metal
hydroxide.
●​ When iron reacts with water and oxygen in the air, it forms
rust and a substance made from a mixture of two different iron
oxides. They form brown flakes which fall off the metal to
expose more of it to the water and oxygen.
●​ Equation: Metal + Hydrochloric Acid → Metal Chloride +
Hydrogen
Experiment Setup:
●​ Acid is poured into a test tube with metal.
●​ Bubbles of hydrogen gas are observed.
●​ Gas is collected using a tube.
●​ Amount of gas produced shows metal’s reactivity.

Reactivity of Metals with Dilute Hydrochloric Acid:

●​ Magnesium → Reacts quickly, many bubbles of hydrogen.


●​ Zinc → Reacts slowly, some bubbles.
●​ Iron → Reacts, but slower than zinc.
●​ Lead → No reaction with dilute acid, reacts slowly with
concentrated acid.
●​ Copper → No reaction.

Higher Reactivity = More hydrogen bubbles produced.


Sodium & Potassium would react even more violently than
magnesium.
Important Factors:

●​ More reactive metals produce hydrogen faster.


●​ If the funnel is above the liquid, hydrogen may escape instead
of being collected.

Reactivity Order:​
Magnesium > Zinc > Iron > Lead > Copper (no reaction).
Reactivity Series

●​ Reactivity Series: Metals are arranged from most to least


reactive.
●​ Most reactive metals are at the top; least reactive (inert) metals
are at the bottom.

Metal Reactions

●​ Potassium & Sodium:


○​ Reacts very vigorously with oxygen.
○​ Produces hydrogen with cold water.
○​ Violent reaction with acids.
●​ Calcium:
○​ Produces hydrogen with steam.
○​ Reaction rate decreases down the table.
●​ Magnesium & Zinc:
○​ Reacts with oxygen.
○​ Reaction with acids depends on position in the series.
●​ Iron:
○​ Oxide forms slowly with oxygen.
●​ Copper:
○​ Oxide forms without burning.
○​ No reaction with water or acids.
●​ Silver & Gold:
○​ No reaction with oxygen, water, or acids → inert metals.

Key Points

●​ Reactivity decreases down the table.


●​ Silver & Gold are unreactive (inert) as they do not react with
other substances.
Notes on Light, Reflection, and Refraction

Light as Energy

●​ Light travels in straight lines from a luminous object.


●​ When passing through a hole or slit, its path can be observed.
●​ Sunlight through clouds or curtains forms visible beams due to
reflection off dust.

Light Rays and Pinhole Camera

●​ Light rays are narrow beams of light that can be controlled using
slits.
●​ Pinhole camera:
○​ Light-rays pass through a small hole and form an inverted
image on a screen.
○​ Non-luminous objects (e.g., trees) reflect light that can be
captured in the pinhole camera.
○​ Moving the pinhole camera closer to the object affects the
light-ray path.

Reflection of Light

●​ Key terms:
○​ Incident ray: Light striking a surface.
○​ Reflected ray: Light bouncing off a surface.
○​ Normal: A 90° line perpendicular to the surface.
○​ Angle of incidence: Between the incident ray and normal.
○​ Angle of reflection: Between the reflected ray and normal.
○​ Plane mirror: A flat, reflective surface.
○​ Image: The reflected appearance of an object.

Law of Reflection

●​ Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection.


●​ Applies to smooth surfaces like glass, still water, and polished
metal.
●​ Reflected light from these surfaces forms clear images.

Smooth vs. Rough Surfaces


●​ Smooth surfaces (mirror, glass, still water):
○​ Reflect light in a uniform direction, forming clear images.
●​ Rough surfaces:
○​ Scatter light in different directions, producing a distorted
reflection or no image.

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