Periodic Trends: How They can Affect the Reactivity of Alkaline, Alkali Earth, and Transitions Metals

Marie Benedek (partnered with James Brunet, and Marie Payne) Ms. Weir SCH3U 06/03/13

Introduction:

The purpose of this lab was to test the reactions of different Alkaline, Alkali Earth, and Transition metals as they were combined with H20. Our group will be studying the varying reactions caused by the elements Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, and Al, as well as documenting all the similarities and differences in each reaction to, hopefully, establish a pattern and relate our finding back to periodic trends.

Materials:

The materials used in this lab are as follows:

-Test tubes (approx. 3-4) -250ml beakers (approx. 1-2) -A watch glass -Phenolphthalein -Several splints -A candle -Samples of: Li, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Al

Procedure:

*For the complete procedure, please refer to handout Reactivity of Metals.*

Observations:

Metal Aluminum

Magnesium

Calcium

Lithium

Sodium

Potassium

Observations -Very minute bubbles were produced (may have been trapped air opposed to gas). -Very slow, if any, reaction. -No response to flaming splint. -Bubbles were produced, which is a sign of a gas being produced (H2). -No response to flaming splint. -Slow reaction, but not as slow as Al. -Bubbles were very quickly produced. -Water turned white. -White, chalky residue was left as bottom of test tube. -Tested positive for H2 -White foam was produced at the top of the mixture. -Bubbles were quickly produceda gas was quickly produced. -The Li chunk flitted around the surface of the water, opposed to sinking. -Smoke was produced. -The resulting mixture was a base. -Bubbles were quickly produceda gas was produced. -The Na chunk flitted around the surface of the water, opposed to sinking. -Smoke was produced. -Spark were produced. -The resulting mixture was a base. -Bubbles were quickly produceda gas was produced. -A flame was produced the moment the element came into contact with the water. -The K chunk flitted around the surface of the water opposed to sinking. -The resulting mixture was a base.

Discussion:

This lab, although simplistic in nature and not very difficult to follow, managed to portray just exactly how wide the scope for reactive metals is. The metals used in this lab were taken from the Alkaline, Alkali Earth, and Transition Metals. Since the most reactive metal we tested was potassium (K) and the least reactive was aluminium (Al), it can be assumed that the reactivity of metal ties in to periodic trends. Or, more specifically, Ionization Energy (IE). The general pattern for IE is that it increases as you go down a period, and decreases as you go from left to right across a periodic table. As I mentioned before, with K being the most reactive element, and Al being the least reactive, it is obvious that atoms with a higher IE are more violent. To further back up that statement, one would only have to look at the metals tested, in order from most reactive to least reactive. After K, there is Na, Li, Ca, Mg, and then, of course, Al. The order of reactive metals matches the trend for IE, meaning that the least reactive metal also has the lowest IE. This leads to the conclusion that larger reactions occur when one attempts to remove atoms that have a very strong pull towards the atom. For example, K caught fire when it came into contact with the water, whereas Al did nothing when it came into contact with the water, although our group did speculate that the small bubbles produced were hydrogen gas. In fact, all of the elements created hydrogen gas when they were introduced to the water. We tested this by using a flaming splint. If H2 had been created, a pop would have been heard when the flaming splint was inserted into the test tube. My group observed a pop for all of the elements that we used a splint on, aside from Al, but we concluded that Al was not reactive enough to create enough gas for that pop. This type of chemical equation is often called a displacement reaction. The formula for this reaction is (using Ca as an example):

Ca + H2O H2 + Ca(OH)

As you can see, the water molecule is split up, and the gas is isolated. In the lab, we were not permitted to test the more reactive metals (K, Na) for hydrogen gas with a flaming splint, but it was still clear that H2 had been produced. The production of H2 was one of the main similarities between all of the reactions. Other similarities were the production of bubbles, as well as a bit of smoke. However, one difference that was noted was with the use of Ca. The Ca, when mixed with the water, bubbled quiet ferociously, and turned a pasty white. It still produced hydrogen gas, but its reaction was not like the others.

One last factor that may have played into the reactivity of the metals was the electron configuration. The elements with non-complete outer shells were far more reactive than the elements with full outer shells. This may have occurred because elements with full outer shells are often more stable than elements with incomplete outer shells.

In conclusion, it would appear that the reactivity of a metal is very closely linked to the electrons. When the element is lacking electrons, and when an element has a high IE, it is far more reactive than stable elements with low IEs.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, after documenting the different reactions of the three classifications of metals, a secure pattern connecting to the reactivity of each element was discovered. The pattern our group found was that elements with a higher Ionization Energy, as well as an incomplete outer shell were far more instable than the elements with a low IE, and an incomplete outer shell.