chemical changes Flashcards
(80 cards)
metal + oxygen ->
metal oxides
e.g., magnesium + oxygen -> magnesium oxide
what are oxidation reactions
reactions where metals react with oxygen; this is because the metals gain oxygen
what is oxidation and what is reduction
oxidation -> both the gaining of oxygen and the loss of electrons
reduction -> both the losing of oxygen and the gaining of electrons)
what are redox reactions
reactions in which both reduction and oxidation happen at the same time
what is the reactivity of a metal related to
its tendency to form positive ions; the easier they lose electrons to form positive ions, the more reactive they are.
i.e. a more reactive metal will more easily lose its outer electrons to form a positive ion than a less reactive metal
how can we test metals’ reactivity
by reacting the metals with water and with dilute acids
metal + water →
metal hydroxide + hydrogen
e.g. magnesium + water → magnesium hydroxide + hydrogen
how can you tell the reactivity of metals above calcium
by testing a range of different metals reacting with water, we can work out a reactivity series from most reactive to least reactive; we can tell the relative reactivity by comparing how vigorous the reaction with water is. to quantify this, we can test the temperature change and the rate of production of hydrogen gas. these values allow us to compare the reactivity of different metals via their reactions with water
what is the problem with comparing metal reactivities by reactions with water and how can you resolve this
some metals that are less reactive than calcium do not actually react with water at all. to compare their relative reactivities, they’re reacted with dilute acids.
metal + dilute acid →
salt + hydrogen
e.g. magnesium + hydrochloric acid → magnesium chloride + hydrogen
how can you tell the reactivity of metals below calcium
as long as the metal is more reactive than hydrogen, it will have a reaction with dilute acids - this means that we can compare the reactivities of less reactive metals by comparing how vigorous the reactions are, the temperature change and the rate of production of hydrogen
how can the rate of production of hydrogen be detected
using a splint test (squeaky pop test) and comparing how loud the squeaky pops are
OR
using a gas syringe and comparing volume of hydrogen produced per second
what occurs in a displacement reaction
a more reactive element will displace a less reactive element from its compound
how are unreactive metals found
unreactive (native) metals such as gold are found in the Earth as the pure metal itself; this means that these metals don’t need to be chemically extracted because they do not easily react with other elements in the ground e.g. oxygen
how are reactive metals found
reactive metals like iron and copper are found as compounds (e.g. iron oxide) that require chemical reactions to extract the metal
define an ore
a rock containing enough metal to make it economic to extract the metal
what do acids ionise to produce and in what conditions
in aqueous solutions, acids ionise to produce H⁺ ions (hydrogen ions)
what does hydrochloric acid produce
salts called chlorides
what does sulphuric acid produce
salts called sulfates
what does nitric acid produce
salts called nitrates
the greater the difference in reactivity between the acid and hydrogen
the faster it reacts with acids
define bases
any chemical that can neutralise acids to produce a salt and water
examples of bases
- insoluble metal hydroxides and metal oxides e.g., copper oxide, sodium hydroxide
- metal carbonates
- alkalines
define an alkali and give an example
a soluble base e.g. sodium hydroxide, which can dissolve in water and can neutralise acids to produce a salt and water. this makes sodium hydroxide an alkali and therefore also a base