REACTIVITY SERIES OF METALS
The activity series of metals or reactivity series is a list of metals from most reactive to least reactive.
Knowing the activity series helps you predict whether a chemical reaction will occur or not. It can be
used to identify whether a metal will react with water or acid or replace another metal in a reaction.
Replacement reactions and ore extraction are two key uses of the activity series.
Activity Series of Metals Chart
Below is an activity series chart for metals around room temperature.
Metals (most to least reactive) Reaction
Potassium (K)
Sodium (Na)
Lithium (Li)
Barium (Ba) React with cold water, replacing hydrogen and forming hydroxide
Radium (Ra)
Strontium (Sr)
Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium (Mg) React very slowly with cold water, but vigorously with acids, forming hydroxides
Beryllium (Be)
Aluminum (Al)
Titanium (Ti)
Manganese (Mn)
Zinc (Zn)
Chromium (Cr)
React with acids, generally forming oxides
Iron (Fe)
Cadmium (Cd)
Cobalt (Co)
Nickel (Ni)
Tin (Sn)
Lead (Pb)
H2 For comparison
Highy unreactive
Copper (Cu)
Tungsten (W)
Mercury (Hg)
Silver (Ag)
Gold (Au)
Metals (most to least reactive) Reaction
Platinum (Pt)
What’s important is keeping in mind the general trends. Alkali metals (group 1 elements) are more
reactive than metals (group 2 elements), which in turn are more reactive than transition metals. Noble
metals are the least reactive.
The alkali metals, barium, radium, strontium, and calcium react with cold water. Magnesium only reacts
slowly with cold water, but rapidly reacts with boiling water or acids. Beryllium and aluminum react with
steam or acids. Titanium only reacts with concentrated mineral acids. Most transition metals react with
acids, but do not react with steam. The noble metals only react with powerful oxidizers, such as aqua
regia (a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitic acid in the ratio of 3:1)
Most Reactive and Least Reactive Metals
From the table, note that the most reactive metal on the periodic table is potassium. The least reactive
metal is platinum.
How to Use the Metal Activity Series
A metal that is higher on the activity series replaces one lower on the series. It does not replace a metal
higher on the series. When one metal replaces another it displaces it in replacement reactions and also
displaces ions in aqueous solution.
For example, adding zinc metal to an aqueous solution of copper ions results in precipitation of copper:
Zn(s) + Cu2+(aq) → Zn2+(aq) + Cu(s)
This occurs because zinc is more reactive than copper and is higher on the activity series. However, if you
add silver metal to an aqueous copper solution, nothing changes. Silver is below copper on the activity
series so no chemical reaction occurs.
However, some metals don’t displace hydrogen from water. Metals lower on the activity series react
with acids. For example, zinc displaces hydrogen from sulfuric acid:
Zn(s)+H2 SO4(aq) → ZnSO4(aq)+H2(g)
Now, let’s apply this information to potential chemistry problems:
Example #1
Will the following reaction occur?
Mg(s)+CuCl2(aq)→MgCl2(aq)+Cu(s)
Magnesium is higher on the activity series than copper, so it replaces it in reactions. Yes, this reaction
will occur.
Example #2
What happens when you place a chunk of zinc into a container of hydrochloric acid?
From the activity series you know that zinc displaces hydrogen from acid. Hydrochloric acid is actually an
aqueous solution of HCl, so you don’t get zinc chloride. Here is the reaction:
Zn(s) + 2HCl(aq) → Zn2+(aq) + 2 Cl–(aq) + H2(g)
Example #3
What happens when you place a chunk of copper into hydrochloric acid?
From the reactivity series, you know copper is pretty unreactive. No reaction occurs. Nothing happens.
Understanding Reactivity
The reason some metals are more reactive than others has to do with their electron configuration. Alkali
metals readily lose their single valence electron and gain stability. Meanwhile, noble metals are d-block
elements that require the loss or gain of several electrons to reach a noble gas configuration.
Usually, the metal with more electrons is more reactive than the one with fewer electrons. This is
because metals with more electrons have electron shells that are further away from the nucleus, so their
electrons are not as tightly bound.