2007-11-06 14:14:01 · 4 answers · asked by Jenna 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
magnesium is the most reactive, and calcium is the least reactive. Aluminum is a close second to magnesium. because magnesium has a +2 charge, and calcium has a +1 charge.
2007-11-06 14:18:16 · answer #1 · answered by archerpro101 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Magnesium is most reactive. While both Ca and Mg have a +2 charge in ionic compounds, the lower-weight metal (excluding beryllium in the second period) is more active. Aluminum is less reactive because it is in the III group.
If you want to "cheat", look in the electropositivity or electronegativity table that is usually in the back of the chem book somewhere. The most electropositive ones are the most reactive.
2007-11-06 14:21:57 · answer #2 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Calcium is the most reactive, then magnesium then aluminium.
This is in the order of electrode potential: Ca = -2.87 v, Mg = -2.36v, Al=-1.66 v ( c.f. gold = +1.41 v which is least reactive metal)
2007-11-06 14:22:53 · answer #3 · answered by Aurium 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If you are working on periodic trends .......
Metals tend to lose electrons. You are probably using ionization energy during this chapter. Ionization energy is the energy associated with the loss of an electron. The easier it is for a metal to lose an electron the more reactive it would be. The trend for ionization energy is that it tends to increase across a period and decrease down a family. So with that in mind, the further to the left and the closer to the bottom of the periodic table, the lower the ionization energy is likely to be and the more reactive it is also likely to be.
2007-11-06 14:20:10 · answer #4 · answered by chemmy 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋