Reactivity Series
Reactivity ordering for displacement, extraction, redox direction, and electrochemical prediction work.
This route helps when you keep missing the same type of question across different topics. Use it to combine lesson notes with linked practice and tools in one place.
Notes and Hubs in This Route
- Why alloys have different properties
Identify alloys from composition and particle diagrams, explain how different-sized particles hinder layer movement, and distinguish hardness from other material properties.
- Electroplating: Growing a Metal Coating
Explain how a metal coating grows on the cathode, choose the electrolyte and anode, and connect electron transfer to electrode changes.
- Simple Electric Cells
Learn how simple cells produce electrical energy: use the reactivity series to identify polarity, electron flow, observations and half-equations.
- Electrolysis of Aqueous Compounds
Aqueous electrolysis: water vs solute ions, preferential discharge rules, and how concentration and electrode type change the products.
- Metallic bonding and metal properties
Use positive metal ions and delocalised electrons to explain electrical and thermal conduction, melting behaviour, malleability and ductility.
- Metals and Non-Metals
Compare metals and non-metals, link outer electrons to ion formation, and apply the metallic-to-non-metallic trend across a period.
- Purifying Copper by Electrolysis
Explain how copper transfers from an impure anode to a pure cathode, track copper ions and electrode masses, and distinguish impurity paths.
- Redox Reactions
Redox reactions: oxidation vs reduction, electron transfer, oxidation state changes, and identifying oxidising and reducing agents in reactions.
- Reading the Periodic Table
Learn how proton number and electron configuration determine Periodic Table position, common ion charges, group similarities and metallic character.
- Types of Electrodes in Electrolysis
Inert vs reactive electrodes: explain how a copper anode can dissolve instead of producing oxygen and how this affects products, mass and concentration.
- Group 1 Elements: The Alkali Metals
Learn Group 1 alkali-metal properties, melting-point and reactivity trends, water-reaction observations, balanced equations and exam explanations.
- Group 17 Elements: The Halogens
Learn Group 17 halogen colours and states, the reactivity trend, displacement predictions, balanced ionic equations and precise observations.
- Noble Gases (Group 18)
Learn why Group 18 noble gases are monatomic and very unreactive, and link helium, neon and argon to their syllabus uses.
- The Periodic Table
Periodic Table hub covering groups, periods, Group 1 and 17 trends, noble gases, transition elements and the reactivity series.
- The Particulate Nature of Matter
Chemistry Matter hub: particle model, atoms/electron configuration, and bonding (ionic, covalent, metallic, giant covalent). Practise the topic with its check.
- Electrolysis Predictions and Faraday’s Law (A Level)
Predict molten and aqueous electrolysis products, write balanced half-equations, and calculate charge, electron amount, mass or gas volume using Faraday’s law.
- Batteries and Fuel Cells (A Level)
Compare primary vs secondary cells, write key half-equations, and understand the hydrogen–oxygen fuel cell as a practical electrochemical system.
- Electrochemistry (A Level)
A Level electrochemistry notes: standard electrode potentials, cell EMF and spontaneity, redox equations from half-equations, and electrolysis/Faraday’s law.