Activity series of metals

The following table shows the activity series for some of the more common metals in order of deceasing reactivity, with the most reactive metal at the top of the list. It should not be surprising to find the alkali metals at the top of the list and the more unreactive metals at the bottom of the list.

This is a reference table and will be available to you in examinations. Do not attempt to memorize this table.

Lithium	Li Li+ + e-
Potassium	K K+ + e-
Barium	Ba Ba2+ + 2 e-
Calcium	Ca Ca2+ + 2 e-
Sodium	Na Na+ + e-
Magnesium	Mg Mg2+ + 2 e-
Aluminum	Al Al3+ + 3 e-
Manganese	Mn Mn2+ + 2 e-
Zinc	Zn Zn2+ + 2 e-
Chromium	Cr Cr3+ + 3 e-
Iron	Fe --> Fe2+ + 2 e-
Cobalt	Co Co2+ + 2 e-
Nickel	Ni Ni2+ + 2 e-
Tin	Sn Sn2+ + 2 e-
Lead	Pb Pb2+ + 2 e-
Hydrogen	H2 --> 2 H+ + 2 e-
Copper	Cu Cu2+ + 2 e-
Silver	Ag Ag+ + e-
Mercury	Hg Hg2+ + 2 e-
Platinum	Pt Pt2+ + 2 e-
Gold	Au Au3+ + 3 e-

Content suitability

BCIT courses: CHEM 0011