Video Transcript
What is the name given to the list
of elements shown below when discussing how reactive different elements can be? (A) The metals of the periodic
table. (B) The metal neutralization
series. (C) The substitution reaction
series. (D) The series of chemical
reactions. Or (E) the series of chemical
activity.
The labeled arrow shows us that the
activity of the elements in the list decreases as you descend the list. So the elements at the top will be
more active than the elements at the bottom of the list. This series or list of elements can
be used to predict the outcome of substitution reactions, which occur when an active
metal replaces a less active metal in a chemical compound. For example, if we reacted zinc and
copper sulfate, as zinc is higher up in this list of elements than copper is, then
zinc is more active than copper. So, as zinc is an active metal and
copper is a less active metal in a chemical compound, copper sulfate, then the zinc
will replace the copper, forming zinc sulfate and copper metal.
So, using the activity of these
elements, we’ve been able to predict the chemistry of a reaction. So, really, it’s not just
decreasing activity but decreasing chemical activity. So the name of this list or series
of elements written in order of decreasing chemical activity is known as the series
of chemical activity, where chemical activity is really another way of saying
reactivity. So the elements near the top of
this list are more reactive, and the elements at the bottom of the list are less
reactive.
So the answer to the question “What
is the name given to this list of elements?” is (E) the series of chemical
activity.
