How to know if a metal is more reactive then another?

Question

Do you see where it is on the periodic table?
Please help! Thankyou x

Answer 1

If you put the two metals in an electrolyte solution with soluble salts, for example Zn and Cu strips in a solution of Zinc chloride and copper chloride you will get an electric current and you can tell which is more reactive by ther direction of the current.

Answer 2

The appropriate answer is based upon Thermodynamics. If you have not covered Thermodynamics it cannot be covered in complete detail herein but I will provide a very simplified overview.

First you need to define the reaction. A reaction of a metal with oxygen to make metal oxide is not the same a reaction of a metal and fluorine to make a metal fluoride for example.

Let's assume you are interested in Cu + 1/2 O2 = CuO vs Ni + 1/2 O2 = NiO2 and want to know whether Cu is more reactive than Ni in reacting with Oxygen. You now have defined the specifics.

For any reaction to happen there is a difference in energy - with energy given off when the reaction takes place. This is called the Gibbs Free Energy. Tables of Gibbs Free Energy are available (probably on line these days). The Gibbs Free Energy of the product - the Gibbs Free Energy of the reactants = the Gibbs Free Energy of the reaction. The greater the Gibbs Free Energy the more reactive it is. The Gibbs Free Energy is reported on a per mole basis so you need to take the number of moles reacting into consideration when doing this calculation.

This tells you which is more reactive.

This however does not tell you reaction speed which is not thermodynamics but kinetics. Kinetics addresses the speed of the reaction. In the above case, let's assume Cu is more reactive than Ni (I did not do the Gibbs Free Energy Calculation so this may not be the case). This does not necessarily mean that Cu will oxidize faster than will Ni - the opposite may be true.

Answer 3

There will be in your textbook somewhere a table called an "Activity Series". That lists the order of how reactive metals are. It will probably be an incomplete list, though.
Using the periodic table, the metals are on the left 2/3 of the table, roughly. Everything left of the metals.
Generally, the farther you go to the left on the table, the more reactive the metals. The alkaline-earth metals are very reactive. The alkali metals are very, very, very reactive. They're the leftmost column.

Answer 4

reactivity series.. i know it by heart.. goes like this
most reactive is on the left going to the least reactive.. see if u can spot a pattern.. i just learn the symbols like a word sounds like this when i say it but i unpick it to know what each element is knaca-mgalznfeeb - cuagu)

K Na Ca Mg Al Zn Fe Pb Cu Ag Au

Answer 5

Observe the reaction with oxygen, acid and water.
The more violent the more reactive.
The one with the fewer in the same group is more reactive.
The group the is smaller no. or orbit is more reactive

Answer 6

by seeing reactivity series

Answer 7

The more valence electrons the element is lacking, the more reactive it is