In this deck, we'll explore the reactivity series of metals. You'll learn how to predict how metals will react with water and acids, and how they can displace each other from compounds. We'll also see how a metal's reactivity determines how it's extracted from the ground. Finally, we'll cover the important concepts of oxidation and reduction, both in terms of oxygen and electrons.

Think of the reactivity of metals as a league table. The most reactive metals are at the top, and the least reactive are at the bottom. A metal's reactivity is all about how easily it loses electrons to form a positive ion. The more easily it loses electrons, the more reactive it is. The common order you need to know for GCSE is: Potassium, Sodium, Lithium, Calcium, Magnesium, Aluminium, Carbon, Zinc, Iron, Hydrogen, and then Copper, Silver, Gold.

That's a long list to remember, so many people use a mnemonic. A popular one is: 'Please Send Lions, Cats, Monkeys And Cute Zebras Into Hot Countries, Signed Gordon'. The 'P' in 'Please' is for Potassium, 'S' in 'Send' is for Sodium, and so on. Notice that Carbon and Hydrogen are included in the series for comparison, even though they are not metals.