Question

a. What is meant by the activity of an element? b. How does this description differ for metals and nonmetals?

Short answer

a. Activity of an element measures its ability to participate in chemical reactions. b. For metals, high activity means losing electrons easily; for nonmetals, it means gaining electrons easily.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Element Activity

Activity of an element refers to its ability to participate in chemical reactions. This measure indicates how readily an element can lose or gain electrons or how easily it can react with other substances.

Activity in Metals

For metals, activity is defined by how easily they can lose electrons. Metals that lose electrons more readily are considered more active. This process is known as oxidation, and highly active metals are good reducing agents.

Activity in Nonmetals

For nonmetals, activity is defined by their ability to gain electrons. Nonmetals that gain electrons more readily are considered more active. This process is known as reduction, and highly active nonmetals are good oxidizing agents.

Key concepts

chemical reactions

Chemical reactions involve the transformation of one or more substances into different substances. They occur when atoms or molecules interact to form new bonds or break existing ones. These reactions can be characterized by:
• Changes in color
• Release or absorption of energy
• Formation of gas
• Formation of a precipitate
In chemical reactions, the reactants are the starting materials, and the products are the new substances formed. The activity of an element plays a crucial role in predicting how a chemical reaction will proceed.

metal activity

Metal activity refers to how easily a metal can lose electrons and participate in chemical reactions. This property is crucial in determining how reactive a metal is, often dictating its behavior in reactions. For example:
• Highly active metals, like sodium and potassium, lose electrons very easily and react vigorously with water.
• Less active metals, like gold and platinum, do not lose electrons easily and are much more stable.
In essence, a metal's activity is a measure of its ability to undergo oxidation, where it loses electrons to form positive ions.

nonmetal activity

Nonmetal activity is the tendency of nonmetals to gain electrons. This property helps to evaluate how reactive a nonmetal is in chemical reactions. For instance:
• Halogens, such as chlorine and fluorine, are highly active nonmetals that readily gain electrons to form negative ions.
• Nonmetals like nitrogen and oxygen are also very reactive and participate in the formation of many compounds through electron gain.
The activity of nonmetals is generally associated with their ability to undergo reduction, where they gain electrons to achieve a more stable electron configuration.

oxidation

Oxidation is the process through which an element loses electrons during a chemical reaction. This process is critical for understanding metal activity:
• When metals undergo oxidation, they lose electrons and form positive ions.
• Oxidation typically involves the increase in oxidation state of the element.
For example, when iron reacts with oxygen to form rust, iron undergoes oxidation from Fe to Fe³⁺.
The concept of oxidation is foundational in understanding redox reactions, where oxidation and reduction happen simultaneously.

reduction

Reduction is the process by which an element gains electrons during a chemical reaction. This concept is key to understanding nonmetal activity:
• Nonmetals undergo reduction when they gain electrons to form negative ions.
• Reduction results in a decrease in oxidation state of the element.
As an example, when chlorine gains an electron to form Cl^-, it undergoes reduction.
Reduction is a crucial part of redox reactions, highlighting the electron gain part of these chemical processes. In any redox reaction, one element is oxidized while another is reduced.