Metals and Reactivity

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to metals, their properties, reactions, and corrosion.

Metals

Elements that are typically shiny, good conductors of heat and electricity, and malleable and ductile.

Reactivity Series

A list of metals arranged in order of decreasing reactivity.

Oxidation

The process where a substance loses electrons or gains oxygen.

Reduction

The process where a substance gains electrons or loses oxygen.

Displacement Reaction

A chemical reaction in which a more reactive metal displaces a less reactive metal from its compound.

Corrosion

The gradual destruction of materials, usually metals, by chemical reactions with their environment.

Rusting

The corrosion of iron, resulting in iron oxide.

Sacrificial Protection

A method of rust prevention where a more reactive metal corrodes instead of the protected metal.

Galvanization

A process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron to prevent rusting.

Hydrogen

A non-metal, often included in the reactivity series; metals above this will displace it from acids.