Reactivity of Metals
AQA GCSE Chemistry • Topics C4.2, C5.1, C5.2, C5.3
Topics
C5.1
The Reactivity Series
Learn the order of metals, reactions with oxygen, water and acid, and how to write word and symbol equations.
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C5.2
Displacement Reactions
Understand why displacement reactions occur, ionic equations, and oxidation & reduction in terms of electron transfer.
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C5.3
Extracting Metals
How metals are extracted from their ores, the role of carbon and hydrogen, and why some metals are found uncombined.
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C4.2
Equations & Calculations
Balancing equations, conservation of mass, relative formula mass, moles calculations, and calculating masses from equations.
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C5.1 – The Reactivity Series
List the order of common metals in the reactivity series
Describe oxidation and reduction in terms of gain or loss of oxygen
Justify uses of metals based on their chemical reactivity
Write word equations and balance symbol equations for metals + oxygen, water, acid
Predict observations for metals reacting with oxygen, water, and acid
Evaluate the investigation of metals plus acid (variables, validity)
C5.2 – Displacement Reactions
Explain why a displacement reaction occurs
Describe displacement reactions using an ionic equation H
Use the reactivity series to predict whether a reaction will happen
Write balanced symbol equations with state symbols for displacement reactions
Predict observations for metals reacting with a different metal salt
Determine oxidised/reduced species in terms of electron transfer H
C5.3 – Extracting Metals
Define oxidation and reduction in terms of oxygen
Identify species being oxidised and reduced in a reaction
Explain how carbon or hydrogen can reduce an ore
Describe how metals can be extracted
Explain why some metals are found uncombined in the Earth's crust
C4.2 – Equations & Calculations
Explain what has happened to the mass observed during an experiment
Explain why chemical equations must be balanced
Calculate relative formula mass (Mr) from relative atomic masses
Interpret balanced symbol equations in terms of mole ratios H
Use moles = mass ÷ Mr to calculate moles, mass, or Mr H
Calculate masses of reactants or products from balanced equations H