⚙️ Chemical Properties of Metals

Almost all metals combine with oxygen to form metal oxides:

• Vigorous reaction: K, Na (catch fire in air)
• Moderate reaction: Mg, Al, Zn (form protective oxide layer)
• Slow reaction: Fe, Cu (require heating)
• No reaction: Ag, Au (even at high temperatures)

Metals show varied reactivity with water:

• Cold water: K, Na, Ca react vigorously
• Hot water: Mg reacts slowly
• Steam only: Al, Zn, Fe react
• No reaction: Pb, Cu, Ag, Au

Metals react with dilute acids to produce salt and hydrogen gas:

Note: Metals like Cu, Ag, Au do not react with dilute HCl. With HNO₃, hydrogen is not evolved as it's a strong oxidizing agent.

More reactive metals can displace less reactive metals from their salt solutions:

This principle helps us determine the relative reactivity of metals and establish the reactivity series.