This exam focus covers Exam Focus within The Reactivity Series for GCSE Chemistry. Revise The Reactivity Series in Chemical Changes for GCSE Chemistry with 28 exam-style questions and 20 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 9 of 12 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Topic position
Section 9 of 12
Practice
28 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
🎯 Exam Focus
Frequently Examined
The reactivity series underpins many exam questions. Key question types include:
- Predict reactions: "Will metal X react with the salt solution of metal Y?" (1-2 marks)
- Extraction method: "Explain why aluminium is extracted by electrolysis but iron is not" (3 marks)
- Explain reactivity: "Explain why potassium is more reactive than sodium" — requires electron structure reasoning (3-4 marks)
- Write equations: Metal reacting with water or acid, with state symbols (2-3 marks)
- Observations: Describe what you would see when a reactive metal is added to water (2 marks)
The 6-mark "explain reactivity" answer needs: number of shells, distance from nucleus, shielding effect, and strength of attraction between nucleus and outer electron.
Edexcel 1CH0: Examined in Paper 1 (1CH0/1). Questions on displacement reactions and metal extraction from ores are common in Edexcel Paper 1 — expect to predict whether a reaction will occur and explain using reactivity. In Edexcel-style questions, the command word "Suggest" appears frequently — use your chemistry knowledge to apply to an unfamiliar context.
Quick Check: Would zinc displace copper from copper sulfate solution? Explain why.
Yes. Zinc is higher in the reactivity series than copper, so zinc displaces copper. Zn + CuSO₄ → ZnSO₄ + Cu. Zinc atoms lose electrons (are oxidised) and copper ions gain electrons (are reduced).
Quick Check: Why must sodium be extracted by electrolysis rather than carbon reduction?
Sodium is above carbon in the reactivity series, which means sodium is more reactive than carbon. Carbon cannot remove oxygen from sodium compounds because sodium holds onto its oxide too strongly. Electrolysis must be used instead to break the strong ionic bonds in molten sodium chloride or sodium hydroxide.
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in The Reactivity Series. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for The Reactivity Series
Which of the following shows metals listed in order from MOST reactive to LEAST reactive?
Iron filings are added to copper sulfate solution. Explain what happens, including what is observed and why the reaction occurs.
Quick Recall Flashcards
28 questions on The Reactivity Series — practise free
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