Single displacement reaction metal activity series

You already know that some metals are more reactive than others. You may also have carried out an investigation on the metal activity series in a previous course. In Investigation 10-A, located on page 470, you will discover how this series is related to oxidation and reduction. You will write chemical equations, ionic equations, and half-reactions for the single displacement reactions of several metals. 

Single Displacement Reactions and the Metal Activity Series... 

Through experimentation, chemists have ranked the relative reactivity of the metals, including hydrogen (in acids and in water), in an activity series. The reactive metals, such as potassium, are at the top of the activity series. The unreactive metals, such as gold, are at the bottom. In Investigation 4-A, you will develop an activity series using single displacement reactions. 

How do you think an activity series for metal would help you predict whether or not a single displacement reaction will occur Use examples to help you explain your answer. 

In the same way as you used the activity series for metals, you can use the activity series for halogens to predict whether substances will undergo a single displacement reaction. For example, fluorine is above chlorine in the activity series. So, given the reactants fluorine and sodium chloride, you can predict that the following reaction will occur ... 

Displacing One Element by Another Activity Series As we said, displacement reactions have the same number of reactants as products. We mentioned doubledisplacement (metathesis) reactions in discussing precipitation and acid-base reactions. The other type, single-displacement reactions, are all oxidation-reduction processes. They occur when one atom displaces the ion of a different atom from solution. When the reaction involves metals, the atom reduces the ion when it involves nonmetals (specifically halogens), the atom oxidizes the ion. Chemists rank various elements into activity series—one for metals and one for halogens— in order of their ability to displace one another. 

The activity series can be used to predict which single-displacement reactions will take place. The elemental metal produced is always lower in the activity series than the displacing element. Thus, iron could be displaced from FeCl2 by zinc metal but not by tin. 

Some acids react with active metals and release hydrogen gas, H2. Recall that metals can he ordered in terms of an activity series. Metals above hydrogen in the series undergo single-displacement reactions with certain acids. Hydrogen gas is formed as a product, as shown by the reaction of barium with sulfuric acid. 

Zinc metal reacts spontaneously with an aqueous solution of copper sulfate when they re placed in direct contact. Zinc, being a more reactive metal than copper (it s higher on the activity series of metals presented in Chapter 8), displaces the copper ions in solution. The displaced copper deposits itself as pure copper metal on the surface of the dissolving zinc strip. At first, the reaction may appecir to be a simple single replacement reaction, but it s also a redox reaction. 

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