Upload
eleanore-cooper
View
217
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Reactivity of metals
Denise 8a
Does a connection or relationship exist between the reactivity of a metal and the time it was discovered?
Our Question:
Background information
I know that metals with a greater atomic radius are more reactive, as they release their electrons more easily. This is because the electrons are farther away from the nucleus, and therefore the nucleus has a weaker hold on them.
"BBC - H2g2 - Metals, Their Properties and Reactivity - a Beginners' Guide." BBC - Homepage. British Broadcasting Corporation. Web. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3935955>.
My hypothesis
I think that it the time it was discovered will have a link with the reactivity, because more reactive metals (not surprisingly) will react with the air around them, and make themselves harder to find. The non reactive metals can be found lying around, so naturally they were found first, but as our technology improves we will find the hidden reactive metals.
There are currently around 117 metals, but for the sake of time and space, I will only list 10 of them ( in order of reactivity):
Metal When it was discovered
Reactivity
Cs – Caesium 1860 Extremely reactive
K – Potassium 1807 Extremely reactive
Li – Lithium 1817 Very reactive
Mg – Magnesium 1808 Very reactive
Zn – Zinc 1746 Fairly reactive
Co - Cobalt 1735 Fairly reactive
Fe - Iron 2500 BC Not very reactive
Sn – Tin 2000 BC Not very reactive
Cu - Copper 5000 BC Not very reactive
Hg – Mercury 1500 BC Not very reactive
Conclusion
I think that there’s a slight pattern; all of the more reactive metals (Caesium , Potassium, Lithium and Magnesium) were found in the 1800s, while the metals categorized as fairly reactive were found in the 1700s and metals classified as not very reactive in B.C.
This agrees with my hypothesis.
Reflection
I think that I could have done better by using more metals, to make a more accurate result. I also could have fixed my background information – certain parts I didn’t understand I could have found out, but didn’t have the time to.
Bibliography"Cesium." Nobel.scas.bcit.ca. British Columbia Institute of Technology. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. <http://nobel.scas.bcit.ca/resource/ptable/cs.htm> .
Periodic Table of Elements. Digital image. Ptable. Web. <http://www.ptable.com/Images/periodic%20table.png>.
Periodic Table of Elements. Digital image. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia, Media Wiki. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Periodic_table_discovery_periods.png>.
Winter, Mark. "Potassium | Historical Information." WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements. The University of Sheffield, 1993 - 2010. Web. <http://www.webelements.com/potassium/history.html>.
"Facts about Lithium." Facts About Everything! Arts, Literature, Science, History, Events, Entertainment, People, Places and the Natural World. Web. <http://www.facts-about.org.uk/science-element-lithium.htm>.
"Facts about Magnesium." Facts About Everything! Arts, Literature, Science, History, Events, Entertainment, People, Places and the Natural World. Web. <http://www.facts-about.org.uk/science-element-magnesium.htm>.
"Periodic Table of the Elements." Kemijsko-tehnološki Fakultet U Splitu. Croatian Ministry for Science and Technology, 15 Oct. 2010. Web. <http://www.ktf-split.hr/periodni/en/>.
"BBC - H2g2 - Metals, Their Properties and Reactivity - a Beginners' Guide." BBC - Homepage. British Broadcasting Corporation. Web. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3935955>.