Metal Activity Series
The electrochemical series of metals: what displaces hydrogen and which metals react with water.
| Metals (activity falls from left to right) | With water | With acids (except HNO3, conc. H2SO4) |
|---|---|---|
| Li, K, Ba, Ca, Na | at room temperature, forming alkali and H2 | violently displace H2 |
| Mg, Al, Mn, Zn, Cr, Fe | on heating or with steam, once the oxide layer is removed | displace H2 |
| Ni, Sn, Pb | practically do not react | slowly displace H2 |
| (H) | — | — |
| Cu, Hg, Ag, Pt, Au | do not react | do not displace H2 |
Each metal displaces from salt solutions the metals to its right. The most active ones (Li, K, Ba, Ca, Na) do not work for this because they react with the water of the solution. Concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids react differently; these are separate cases.
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