Reactivity essays

Reactivity essays Reactivity is classified as ready susceptibility to chemical change. Reactivity occurs when a metal acts in response with a substance to produce an outcome. The process of reactivity takes place to enable the atom to form a stable outer energy level. Metal atoms with outer electrons of 2 or 3 are less reactive than metal atoms of 1 outer electron with the same energy level. The reason for this fact is the more outer electrons an atom has, the more protons it contains, thus the atom has a more powerful nuclear attraction. Below is a common order of reactivity of metals: In this series of reactivity the most active metal is potassium (K) and the least active metal is silver (Ag) A displacement reaction is defined as a chemical reaction in which an elementary substance displaces and sets free a constituent element. A more active metal will displace a less active metal from a compound. A displacement reaction happens in the following way: Active Metal + Solution containing metal ions Metal + Solution containing A + B C A C + B Magnesium + Zinc Sulfate Zinc + Magnesium Sulfate A displacement reaction is demonstrated when there is a change in the colour of the solution, a black coating on the metal is evident or crystals assemble on the surface of the metal. Also if there is a pinkish layer on the metal (this only occurs in the case of copper) or if heat is created. ...