20 entries

Activity Series of Metals

Name: Activity Series of Metals
Creator: ChemWhiz
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The activity series ranks metals by their tendency to lose electrons and react. Use it to predict whether a single replacement reaction will occur.

Metal	Symbol	Ion Formed	Reactivity	Reacts With
Lithium	Li	Li⁠⁺	Most reactive	Cold water, steam, acids
Potassium	K	K⁠⁺	Very high	Cold water, steam, acids
Barium	Ba	Ba⁠²⁺	Very high	Cold water, steam, acids
Calcium	Ca	Ca⁠²⁺	High	Cold water, steam, acids
Sodium	Na	Na⁠⁺	High	Cold water, steam, acids
Magnesium	Mg	Mg⁠²⁺	Medium-high	Steam, acids
Aluminum	Al	Al⁠³⁺	Medium-high	Steam, acids
Zinc	Zn	Zn⁠²⁺	Medium	Steam, acids
Chromium	Cr	Cr⁠³⁺	Medium	Steam, acids
Iron	Fe	Fe⁠²⁺	Medium	Steam, acids
Cobalt	Co	Co⁠²⁺	Low-medium	Acids only
Nickel	Ni	Ni⁠²⁺	Low-medium	Acids only
Tin	Sn	Sn⁠²⁺	Low-medium	Acids only
Lead	Pb	Pb⁠²⁺	Low	Acids only
Hydrogen	H	H⁠⁺	—	Reference point
Copper	Cu	Cu⁠²⁺	Low	Oxidizing acids only
Mercury	Hg	Hg⁠²⁺	Very low	Oxidizing acids only
Silver	Ag	Ag⁠⁺	Very low	Oxidizing acids only
Platinum	Pt	Pt⁠²⁺	Extremely low	Aqua regia only
Gold	Au	Au⁠³⁺	Least reactive	Aqua regia only

Important Notes

Metals above hydrogen in the series can displace hydrogen from acids.
Metals above another metal in the series can displace it from a solution of its salt.
The most reactive metals (Li through Na) react vigorously with cold water.
Metals from Mg through Fe react with steam but not cold water.
Metals below hydrogen do not react with common acids (HCl, H₂SO₄). They require oxidizing acids like HNO₃.
Gold and platinum resist nearly all chemical attack except aqua regia (a mixture of HNO₃ and HCl).