Activity Series of Metals
The activity series lists metals and hydrogen in order of reactivity.
- Hydrogen is not considered a metallic element although it's listed in Group I by virtue of it ns1 electron shell configuration
- Any element in the series will displace ions of an element below it from an aqueous solution.
These metals displace hydrogen from water:
-
Lithium
-
Potassium
-
Barium
-
Calcium
- Sodium
-
Lead will displace hydrogen from an acid, while copper does not.
- Metals whuch are positioned very high in the activity series are very reactive and will displace hydrogen from both water and an acid.
These metals displace hydrogen from acids:
- Magnesium
- Aluminum
- Zinc
- Iron
- Nickel
- Tin
- Lead
These metals do not displace hydrogen from acids or water:
- Hydrogen
- Copper
- Mercury
- Silver
- Gold