8.

3
Reactions of metals with
oxygen
In this topic you will:

01 Describe the reactions of some

metals with oxygen

02 Carry out an investigation

03
Compare how reactive some metals
are with oxygen
Reaction of metals with oxygen
 Many metals react with oxygen if they get hot enough.

When you look at the reactions you can identify which metals
are more reactive.
Can you see the difference between the two reactions with oxygen
The reaction between metals and oxygen is an oxidation
reaction.

 Some metals react very quickly with oxygen without even being
heated.
Ex: Sodium, Potassium and calcium.
 When pieces are taken from their containers, they appear
dull because they react with oxygen in the air. The surface
become covered with a new substance – the oxide of the
metal. These matals are so reactive with oxygen.
https://youtu.be/y0hrqLTubDM
These metals are so reactive that they have to be stored under oil to
prevent them reacting with the water vapour in the air.

The layer of metal oxide on the surface prevents any more of the
metal from reacting with the air or water vapour.

Some metals, such as gold, do not react with oxygen. They are
generally unreactive. They are described as inert.

Silver reacts slowly with the air and if a silver object is not cleaned it
goes black over time, as silver oxide is formed.
 LB
Pg 279

Answers
1 It is soft enough to be easily cut with a knife.

2  To protect themselves because the sodium is very reactive

and may react with the moisture on the skin.

3  sodium + oxygen → sodium oxide

What is the difference between them?
 What is rust?

 When iron is left in (damp) air it reacts to form an orange-

brown solid called iron oxide known as rust.

 It is a chemical change and iron, once rusted, no longer has the

same properties.(Unuseful reaction)
 What causes iron to rust?

o Rust is only formed when both oxygen and water are present.

o Water is not the part of the equation but it is needed for the
reaction to happen.

o The reaction takes a long time to happen – iron is not very

reactive with oxygen
Investigating Rust
Results
 LB
Pg 280

Answers
4 To prevent iron from rusting it should not be in the presence of air and
water. The iron nail in dry air does not rust.

5 The nail in test tube 2 rusted most quickly. The conditions in this tube are
water and air.

6 The same type of nail is used in all test tubes so that it is a fair test. The
only variable that changes is the conditions.
 LB
Pg 280

Answers
7 The air in test tube 3 is dried by the calcium chloride inside
absorbing moisture in the air.

8 The air in test tube 4 is kept away from the nail by having a layer of
oil across the surface of the water. The water has also been boiled so
that any air dissolved in it has been removed.
How can iron be protected?
There are ways that the iron can be protected so
it does not rust.
Paint: Galvanization:
Iron is painted so that Iron is covered with a
oxygen cannot reach the layer of zinc so that
iron. oxygen cannot reach
the iron.
 WB
Pg 170 Iron oxide

The nail in tube B will go rusty.

The water has been boiled to remove any

dissolved air and the layer of oil on the
top of the water prevents any more air
from entering.
 WB
Pg 170

No, this is not an expected result.

The nail in the dry air may have gone rusty because Zara
has not put the stopper into the tube firmly enough and
some moisture from the air has entered.

Painting, galvanising or coating with any other

suitable material, such as plastic or grease.
 WB
Pg 171

Variable will change (Independent variable): temperature of the nail.

Variable keep the same (Controlled variable): the type and size of the nail, the
volume of water used and the time for the experiment.

Variable that will be measured (dependent variable): Measuring the rust by

observing it by our eyes.
I will place new shiny nails of the same shape, size and composition into
test tubes containing water at different temperatures. One test tube will be
in cold ice beaker and the other test tube will be in warm water bath to
maintain the difeerent temperatures. After some time the results show that
the nail in warm water bath rusted more quickly than the nail in cold beaker
due to the presence of oxygen and water and vapor in warm water bath
which helps the rust to form quickly.