Reactivity series

The metal reactivity series places metals in the order of most reactive to least reactive and is used to make predictions about reactions of metals with water or acid or displacement reactions such as redox reactions.

Figure 1: Metal reactivity series.

In the context of redox reactions, metals classed as more reactive are more likely to be reduced and metals classed as less reactive are less easily reduced and therefore more likely to be oxidized. In a reaction between a more reactive metal and a less reactive metal, the more reactive metal will undergo the reduction reaction (gain electrons) and the less reactive metal will undergo the oxidation reaction (lose electrons). Generally, the further the metals are away from each other in the reactivity series, the larger the cell potential.