active and inactive metals. What is the most active metal?

Instruction

Take the periodic table, and use a ruler to draw a line that starts in a cell with the element Be (beryllium) and ends in a cell with the element At (Astatine).

Those elements that will be located to the left of this line are metals. Moreover, the “lower and to the left” the element is, the more pronounced metallic properties it has. It is easy to see that in the periodic table such a metal is (Fr) - the most active alkali metal.

Accordingly, those elements that are to the right of the line have properties. And here, too, a similar rule applies: the “higher and to the right” of the line is the element, the stronger non-metal it is. Such an element in the periodic table is fluorine (F), the strongest oxidizing agent. He is so active that chemists used to give him a respectful, albeit informal, "chewing everything."

Questions like “But what about those elements that are on the line itself or very close to it?” may arise. Or, for example, “To the right and above” of the line are chrome,. Are they non-metals? After all, they are used in the production of steel as alloying additives. But it is known that even small impurities of non-metals make brittle. The fact is that the elements located on the line itself (for example, aluminum, germanium, niobium, antimony) have, that is, a dual character.

As for, for example, vanadium, chromium, manganese, the properties of their compounds depend on the degree of oxidation of the atoms of these elements. For example, their higher oxides, such as V2O5, CrO3, Mn2O7, have pronounced . That is why they are located in seemingly "illogical" places in the periodic table. In their "pure" form, these elements are, of course, metals and have all the properties of metals.

Sources:

  • metals in the periodic table

For schoolchildren study table Mendeleev - nightmare. Even thirty-six elements that teachers usually ask turn into hours of exhausting cramming and a headache. Many do not even believe what to learn table Mendeleev is real. But the use of mnemonics can greatly facilitate the life of schoolchildren.

Instruction

Understand the theory and choose the right technique Rules that make it easier to memorize the material, mnemonic. Their main trick is the creation of associative links, when abstract information is packed into a bright picture, sound or even a smell. There are several mnemonic techniques. For example, you can write a story from the elements of memorized information, look for consonant words (rubidium - knife switch, cesium - Julius Caesar), turn on spatial imagination, or simply rhyme the elements of Mendeleev's periodic table.

Ballad about nitrogen It is better to rhyme the elements of Mendeleev's periodic table with meaning, according to certain signs: according to valence, for example. So, alkaline ones rhyme very easily and sound like a song: "Lithium, potassium, sodium, rubidium, francium cesium." "Magnesium, calcium, zinc and barium - their valence is equal to a pair" - an unfading classic of school folklore. On the same topic: "Sodium, potassium, silver are monovalent good" and "Sodium, potassium and argentum are monovalent." Creativity, unlike cramming, which lasts a maximum of a couple of days, stimulates long-term memory. So, more about aluminum, poems about nitrogen and songs about valency - and memorization will go like clockwork.

An acid thriller To facilitate memorization, it is invented in which the elements of the periodic table turn into heroes, landscape details or plot elements. Here, for example, is a well-known text: “Asian (Nitrogen) began to pour (Lithium) water (Hydrogen) into the pine forest (Bor). But we didn’t need him (Neon), but Magnolia (Magnesium).” It can be supplemented with a story about a Ferrari (iron - ferrum), in which the secret agent "Chlorine zero seventeen" (17 - the serial number of chlorine) rode to catch the maniac Arseny (arsenic - arsenicum), who had 33 teeth (33 - the serial number arsenic), but something sour got into his mouth (oxygen), it was eight poisoned bullets (8 is the serial number of oxygen) ... You can continue indefinitely. By the way, a novel written based on the periodic table can be attached to a literature teacher as an experimental text. She will surely like it.

Build a Memory Palace This is one of the names for a fairly effective memorization technique when spatial thinking is turned on. Its secret is that we can all easily describe our room or the way from home to the store, school,. In order to create a sequence of elements, you need to place them along the road (or in the room), and present each element very clearly, visibly, tangibly. Here is a skinny blond with a long face. The hard worker who lays the tiles is silicon. A group of aristocrats in an expensive car - inert gases. And, of course, balloons - helium.

note

No need to force yourself to remember the information on the cards. It is best to associate each element with a certain vivid image. Silicon - with Silicon Valley. Lithium - with lithium batteries in mobile phone. There may be many options. But the combination of a visual image, mechanical memory, tactile sensation from a rough or, conversely, smooth glossy card, will help you easily pick up the smallest details from the depths of memory.

Useful advice

You can draw the same cards with information about the elements, as Mendeleev once had, but only supplement them with modern information: the number of electrons at the outer level, for example. All you need to do is lay them out before bed.

Sources:

  • Mnemonic rules for chemistry
  • how to memorize the periodic table

The problem of definition is far from being idle. It will hardly be pleasant if in a jewelry store instead of an expensive gold thing they want to slip you an outright fake. Isn't it interesting from what metal made out of order automotive detail Or a found antique?

Instruction

Here, for example, is how the presence of copper in an alloy is determined. Apply to cleaned surface metal a drop (1:1) of nitric acid. As a result of the reaction, gas will be released. After a few seconds, blot the drop with filter paper, then hold it over where the concentrated ammonia solution is located. The copper will react, turning the stain dark blue.

Here's how to tell bronze from brass. Place a piece of metal shavings or sawdust in a beaker with 10 ml of a solution (1:1) of nitric acid and cover it with glass. Wait for a while to completely dissolve, and then heat the resulting liquid almost to a boil for 10-12 minutes. A white precipitate will remind you of bronze, and a beaker with brass will remain.

You can define nickel in much the same way as copper. Apply a drop of nitric acid solution (1:1) to the surface metal and wait 10-15 seconds. Blot the drop with filter paper and then hold it over concentrated ammonia vapor. On the resulting dark spot drip a 1% solution of dimethylglyoxin on alcohol.

Nickel will "signal" you with a characteristic red color. Lead can be determined using chromic acid crystals and a drop of chilled acetic acid applied to it, and after a minute - a drop of water. If you see a yellow precipitate, know that it is lead chromate.

Determining the presence of iron is also easy. Take a bite metal and heat it in hydrochloric acid. At a positive result the contents of the flask should be colored in yellow. If you are not good with chemistry, take an ordinary magnet. Know that all iron-containing alloys are attracted to it.

According to generally accepted views, acids are complex substances consisting of one or more hydrogen atoms that can be replaced by metal atoms and acid residues. They are divided into anoxic and oxygen-containing, monobasic and polybasic, strong, weak, etc. How to determine whether a substance has acidic properties?

You will need

  • - indicator paper or litmus solution;
  • - hydrochloric acid(better diluted);
  • - sodium carbonate powder (soda ash);
  • - a little silver nitrate in solution;
  • - flat-bottomed flasks or beakers.

Instruction

The first and easiest test is the indicator test. litmus paper or litmus solution. If the paper strip or solution has pink shade, which means that there are hydrogen ions in the substance under study, and this sure sign acids. You can easily understand that the more intense the color (up to red-burgundy), the acid.

There are many other ways to check. For example, you are tasked with determining whether clear liquid hydrochloric acid. How to do it? You know the reaction to the chloride ion. It is detected by adding even the smallest amounts of lapis solution - AgNO3.

Pour a little of the investigated liquid into a separate container and drip a little bit of the lapis solution. In this case, a "curdled" white precipitate of insoluble silver chloride will instantly fall out. That is, there is definitely a chloride ion in the composition of a substance molecule. But maybe it's still not, but a solution of some kind of chlorine-containing salt? Like sodium chloride?

Remember another property of acids. Strong acids (and, of course, hydrochloric acid is one of them) can displace weak acids from them. Place a little soda powder - Na2CO3 into a flask or beaker and slowly add the test liquid. If a hiss is immediately heard and the powder literally “boils” - there will be no doubt left - this is hydrochloric acid.

Each element in the table is assigned a specific serial number (H - 1, Li - 2, Be - 3, etc.). This number corresponds to the nucleus (the number of protons in the nucleus) and the number of electrons revolving around the nucleus. The number of protons is thus equal to the number of electrons, and this indicates that under normal conditions the atom is electrically .

The division into seven periods occurs according to the number of energy levels of the atom. Atoms of the first period have a single-level electron shell, the second - a two-level, the third - a three-level, etc. When a new energy level is filled, a new period begins.

The first elements of any period are characterized by atoms that have one electron at the outer level - these are alkali metal atoms. The periods end with atoms of noble gases, which have an external energy level completely filled with electrons: in the first period, inert gases have 2 electrons, in the subsequent ones - 8. It is precisely because of the similar structure of the electron shells that groups of elements have similar physico-.

In the table D.I. Mendeleev there are 8 main subgroups. Their number is due to the maximum possible number of electrons at the energy level.

At the bottom of the periodic table, lanthanides and actinides are singled out as independent series.

Using the table D.I. Mendeleev, one can observe the periodicity of the following properties of elements: the radius of an atom, the volume of an atom; ionization potential; electron affinity forces; the electronegativity of the atom; ; physical properties potential connections.

A clearly traced periodicity in the arrangement of elements in the table D.I. Mendeleev is rationally explained by the consistent nature of the filling of energy levels by electrons.

Sources:

  • periodic table

The periodic law, which is the basis of modern chemistry and explains the patterns of changes in properties chemical elements, was discovered by D.I. Mendeleev in 1869. The physical meaning of this law is revealed by studying complex structure atom.

In the 19th century, atomic mass was thought to be main characteristic element, so it was used to classify substances. Now atoms are defined and identified by the magnitude of the charge of their nucleus (number and serial number in the periodic table). However, the atomic mass of the elements, with some exceptions (for example, the atomic mass is less than the atomic mass of argon), increases in proportion to their nuclear charge.

With an increase in the atomic mass, a periodic change in the properties of elements and their compounds is observed. These are metallicity and non-metallicity of atoms, atomic radius, ionization potential, electron affinity, electronegativity, oxidation states, compounds (boiling, melting points, density), their basicity, amphotericity or acidity.

How many elements are in the modern periodic table

Periodic table graphically expresses the law discovered by him. The modern periodic system contains 112 chemical elements (the latter are Meitnerius, Darmstadtius, Roentgenium and Copernicius). According to the latest data, the following 8 elements (up to 120 inclusive) have also been discovered, but not all of them have received their names, and these elements are still few in any printed publications are present.

Each element occupies a certain cell in the periodic system and has its own serial number corresponding to the charge of the nucleus of its atom.

How the periodic system is built

The structure of the periodic system is represented by seven periods, ten rows and eight groups. Each period begins with an alkali metal and ends with a noble gas. The exceptions are the first period, which begins with hydrogen, and the seventh incomplete period.

Periods are divided into small and large. Small periods (first, second, third) consist of one horizontal row, large ones (fourth, fifth, sixth) consist of two horizontal rows. The upper rows in large periods are called even, the lower rows are called odd.

In the sixth period of the table after (serial number 57) there are 14 elements similar in properties to lanthanum - lanthanides. They are placed at the bottom of the table in a separate line. The same applies to actinides located after actinium (with number 89) and largely repeating its properties.

Even rows of large periods (4, 6, 8, 10) are filled only with metals.

Elements in groups exhibit the same highest in oxides and other compounds, and this valence corresponds to the group number. The main ones contain elements of small and large periods, only large ones. From top to bottom, they increase, non-metallic ones weaken. All atoms of the side subgroups are metals.

The table of periodic chemical elements has become one of the major events in the history of science and brought its creator, the Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleev, world fame. This extraordinary person managed to combine all the chemical elements into a single concept, but how did he manage to open his famous table?

Metals that react easily are called active metals. These include alkali, alkaline earth metals and aluminium.

Position in the periodic table

The metallic properties of the elements weaken from left to right in Mendeleev's periodic table. Therefore, elements of groups I and II are considered the most active.

Rice. 1. Active metals in the periodic table.

All metals are reducing agents and easily part with electrons at the external energy level. Active metals have only one or two valence electrons. In this case, the metallic properties are enhanced from top to bottom with an increase in the number of energy levels, because. the farther an electron is from the nucleus of an atom, the easier it is for it to separate.

Alkali metals are considered the most active:

  • lithium;
  • sodium;
  • potassium;
  • rubidium;
  • cesium;
  • francium.

The alkaline earth metals are:

  • beryllium;
  • magnesium;
  • calcium;
  • strontium;
  • barium;
  • radium.

You can find out the degree of activity of a metal by the electrochemical series of metal voltages. The more to the left of hydrogen an element is located, the more active it is. The metals to the right of hydrogen are inactive and can only interact with concentrated acids.

Rice. 2. Electrochemical series of voltages of metals.

The list of active metals in chemistry also includes aluminum, located in group III and to the left of hydrogen. However, aluminum is located on the border of active and medium active metals and does not react with certain substances under normal conditions.

Properties

Active metals are soft (can be cut with a knife), light, and have a low melting point.

The main chemical properties of metals are presented in the table.

Reaction

The equation

Exception

Alkali metals ignite spontaneously in air, interacting with oxygen

K + O 2 → KO 2

Lithium reacts with oxygen only at high temperatures.

Alkaline earth metals and aluminum form oxide films in air, and spontaneously ignite when heated.

2Ca + O 2 → 2CaO

React with simple substances to form salts

Ca + Br 2 → CaBr 2;
- 2Al + 3S → Al 2 S 3

Aluminum does not react with hydrogen

React violently with water, forming alkalis and hydrogen


- Ca + 2H 2 O → Ca (OH) 2 + H 2

The reaction with lithium proceeds slowly. Aluminum reacts with water only after the removal of the oxide film.

React with acids to form salts

Ca + 2HCl → CaCl 2 + H 2;

2K + 2HMnO 4 → 2KMnO 4 + H 2

React with salt solutions, first reacting with water and then with salt

2Na + CuCl 2 + 2H 2 O:

2Na + 2H 2 O → 2NaOH + H 2;
- 2NaOH + CuCl 2 → Cu(OH) 2 ↓ + 2NaCl

Active metals easily react, therefore, in nature they are found only in mixtures - minerals, rocks.

Rice. 3. Minerals and pure metals.

What have we learned?

Active metals include elements of groups I and II - alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as aluminum. Their activity is due to the structure of the atom - a few electrons are easily separated from the external energy level. These are soft light metals that quickly react with simple and complex substances, forming oxides, hydroxides, salts. Aluminum is closer to hydrogen and its reaction with substances requires additional terms - high temperatures, the destruction of the oxide film.

When people hear the word "metal", it is usually associated with a cold and solid substance that conducts electricity. However, metals and their alloys can be very different from each other. There are those that belong to the heavy group, these substances have the most high density. And some, such as lithium, are so light that they could float in water if only they did not actively react with it.

What metals are the most active?

But which metal exhibits the most intense properties? The most active metal is cesium. In terms of activity among all metals, it ranks first. Also, his "brothers" are considered francium, which is in second place, and ununenniy. But little is known about the properties of the latter.

Cesium properties

Cesium is an element that is similarly easy to melt in the hands. True, this can be done only under one condition: if the cesium is in a glass ampoule. Otherwise, the metal can quickly react with the surrounding air - ignite. And the interaction of cesium with water is accompanied by an explosion - such is the most active metal in its manifestation. This is the answer to the question of why it is so difficult to put cesium into containers.

In order to place it inside a test tube, it is necessary that it be made of special glass and filled with argon or hydrogen. The melting point of cesium is 28.7 o C. At room temperature, the metal is in the floor liquid state. Cesium is a golden-white substance. In the liquid state, the metal reflects light well. Cesium vapor has a greenish-blue tint.

How was cesium discovered?

The most active metal was the first chemical element, the presence of which in the surface of the earth's crust was detected using the method of spectral analysis. When the scientists received the spectrum of the metal, they saw two sky-blue lines in it. Thus, this element got its name. The word caesius translated from Latin means "sky blue".

Discovery history

Its discovery belongs to the German researchers R. Bunsen and G. Kirchhoff. Even then, scientists were interested in which metals are active and which are not. In 1860, researchers studied the composition of water from the Durkheim Reservoir. They did this with the help of spectral analysis. In a water sample, scientists found elements such as strontium, magnesium, lithium, and calcium.

Then they decided to analyze a drop of water with a spectroscope. Then they saw two bright blue lines, located not far from each other. One of them practically coincided with the line of strontium metal in its position. Scientists decided that the substance they identified was unknown and attributed it to the group of alkali metals.

In the same year, Bunsen wrote a letter to his colleague, photochemist G. Roscoe, in which he spoke about this discovery. And officially, cesium was announced on May 10, 1860 at a meeting of scientists at the Berlin Academy. After six months, Bunsen was able to isolate about 50 grams of cesium chloroplatinite. Scientists processed 300 tons of mineral water and isolated about 1 kg of lithium chloride as a by-product in order to ultimately obtain the most active metal. This suggests that cesium in mineral waters contains very little.

The difficulty of obtaining cesium is constantly pushing scientists to search for minerals containing it, one of which is pollucite. But the extraction of cesium from ores is always incomplete; during operation, cesium dissipates very quickly. This makes it one of the most inaccessible substances in metallurgy. AT earth's crust, for example, contains 3.7 grams of cesium per ton. And in one liter sea ​​water only 0.5 μg of the substance is the most active metal. This leads to the fact that the extraction of cesium is one of the most labor-intensive processes.

Receipt in Russia

As mentioned, the main mineral from which cesium is obtained is pollucite. And also this most active metal can be obtained from a rare avogadrite. In industry, it is pollucite that is used. Extracting it after the breakup Soviet Union was not carried out in Russia, despite the fact that even at that time gigantic reserves of cesium were discovered in the Voronya tundra near Murmansk.

By the time the domestic industry could afford to extract cesium, the license to develop this deposit was acquired by a company from Canada. Now the extraction of cesium is carried out by the Novosibirsk company CJSC Rare Metals Plant.

Use of cesium

This metal is used to make various solar cells. And also cesium compounds are used in special branches of optics - in the manufacture of infrared devices, cesium is used in the manufacture of sights that allow you to notice the equipment and manpower of the enemy. It is also used to make special metal halide lamps.

But this does not exhaust the scope of its application. On the basis of cesium, a number of medicines have also been created. These are drugs for the treatment of diphtheria, peptic ulcers, shock and schizophrenia. Like lithium salts, cesium salts have normothymic properties - or, simply, they are able to stabilize the emotional background.

francium metal

Another of the metals with the most intense properties is francium. It got its name in honor of the motherland of the discoverer of metal. M. Pere, who was born in France, discovered a new chemical element in 1939. It is one of those elements about which even chemists themselves find it difficult to draw any conclusions.

Francium is the heaviest metal. At the same time, the most active metal is francium, along with cesium. Francium possesses this rare combination - high chemical activity and low nuclear stability. Its longest-lived isotope has a half-life of only 22 minutes. Francium is used to detect another element - actinium. As well as francium salts, it was previously proposed to use for the detection of cancerous tumors. However, due to the high cost, this salt is unprofitable to produce.

Comparison of the most active metals

Ununennium is not yet a discovered metal. It will rank first in the eighth row of the periodic table. The development and research of this element is carried out in Russia at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. This metal will also have to have a very high activity. If we compare the already known francium and cesium, then francium will have the highest ionization potential - 380 kJ / mol.

For cesium, this figure is 375 kJ/mol. But francium still does not react as quickly as cesium. Thus, cesium is the most active metal. This is the answer (chemistry is most often the subject in the curriculum of which you can find a similar question), which can be useful both in the classroom at school and in a vocational school.

If, from the whole series of standard electrode potentials, we single out only those electrode processes that correspond to the general equation

then we get a series of stresses of metals. In addition to metals, hydrogen is always included in this series, which makes it possible to see which metals are capable of displacing hydrogen from aqueous solutions of acids.

Table 19

A number of stresses for the most important metals are given in Table. 19. The position of a particular metal in a series of stresses characterizes its ability to redox interactions in aqueous solutions under standard conditions. Metal ions are oxidizing agents, and metals in the form of simple substances are reducing agents. At the same time, the further the metal is located in the series of voltages, the stronger the oxidizing agent in an aqueous solution are its ions, and vice versa, the closer the metal is to the beginning of the series, the stronger the reducing properties are exhibited by a simple substance - metal.

Electrode Process Potential

in a neutral medium it is B (see page 273). Active metals at the beginning of the series, having a potential much more negative than -0.41 V, displace hydrogen from water. Magnesium displaces hydrogen only from hot water. Metals located between magnesium and cadmium usually do not displace hydrogen from water. Oxide films are formed on the surface of these metals, which have protective effect.

Metals located between magnesium and hydrogen displace hydrogen from acid solutions. At the same time, protective films are also formed on the surface of some metals, which inhibit the reaction. So, the oxide film on aluminum makes this metal resistant not only in water, but also in solutions of certain acids. Lead does not dissolve in sulfuric acid at its concentration below , since the salt formed during the interaction of lead with sulfuric acid is insoluble and creates a protective film on the metal surface. The phenomenon of deep inhibition of metal oxidation, due to the presence of protective oxide or salt films on its surface, is called passivity, and the state of the metal in this case is called the passive state.

Metals are able to displace each other from salt solutions. The direction of the reaction is determined in this case by their mutual position in the series of voltages. Considering specific cases of such reactions, it should be remembered that active metals displace hydrogen not only from water, but also from any aqueous solution. Therefore, the mutual displacement of metals from solutions of their salts practically occurs only in the case of metals located in the row after magnesium.

The displacement of metals from their compounds by other metals was first studied in detail by Beketov. As a result of his work, he arranged the metals according to their chemical activity in a displacement series, which is the prototype of a series of metal stresses.

The mutual position of some metals in the series of voltages and in the periodic system at first glance does not correspond to each other. For example, according to the position in the periodic system, the reactivity of potassium must be greater than sodium, and sodium must be greater than lithium. In the series of voltages, lithium is the most active, and potassium occupies a middle position between lithium and sodium. Zinc and copper, according to their position in the periodic system, should have approximately equal chemical activity, but in the series of voltages, zinc is located much earlier than copper. The reason for this kind of inconsistency is as follows.

When comparing metals occupying a particular position in the periodic system, the measure of their chemical activity - reducing ability - is taken as the value of the ionization energy of free atoms. Indeed, when passing, for example, from top to bottom along the main subgroup of group I of the periodic system, the ionization energy of atoms decreases, which is associated with an increase in their radii (i.e., with a large distance of external electrons from the nucleus) and with increasing screening positive charge nuclei by intermediate electron layers (see § 31). Therefore, potassium atoms exhibit greater chemical activity - they have stronger reducing properties - than sodium atoms, and sodium atoms are more active than lithium atoms.

When comparing metals in a series of voltages, the measure of chemical activity is taken as the work of converting a metal in a solid state into hydrated ions in an aqueous solution. This work can be represented as the sum of three terms: the energy of atomization - the transformation of a metal crystal into isolated atoms, the ionization energy of free metal atoms and the hydration energy of the resulting ions. The atomization energy characterizes the strength of the crystal lattice of a given metal. The ionization energy of atoms - the detachment of valence electrons from them - is directly determined by the position of the metal in the periodic system. The energy released during hydration depends on the electronic structure of the ion, its charge and radius.

Lithium and potassium ions, which have the same charge but different radii, will create unequal electric fields. The field generated near small lithium ions will be stronger than the field near large potassium ions. From this it is clear that lithium ions will hydrate with the release of more energy than potassium nones.

Thus, in the course of the transformation under consideration, energy is spent on atomization and ionization, and energy is released during hydration. The lower the total energy consumption, the easier the whole process will be and the closer to the beginning of the series of voltages the given metal will be located. But of the three terms of the total energy balance, only one - the ionization energy - is directly determined by the position of the metal in the periodic system. Consequently, there is no reason to expect that the mutual position of certain metals in a series of voltages will always correspond to their position in the periodic system. So, for lithium, the total energy consumption is less than for potassium, in accordance with which lithium is in the series of voltages before potassium.

For copper and zinc, the expenditure of energy for the ionization of free atoms and its gain during hydration of the ions are close. But metallic copper forms a stronger crystal lattice than zinc, which can be seen from a comparison of the melting points of these metals: zinc melts at , and copper only at . Therefore, the energy spent on the atomization of these metals is significantly different, as a result of which the total energy costs for the entire process in the case of copper are much greater than in the case of zinc, which explains the relative position of these metals in the voltage series.

When passing from water to non-aqueous solvents, the mutual position of metals in a series of voltages can change. The reason for this lies in the fact that the energy of solvation of ions of various metals varies in different ways when passing from one solvent to another.

In particular, the copper ion is very vigorously solvated in some organic solvents; this leads to the fact that in such solvents copper is located in a series of voltages up to hydrogen and displaces it from acid solutions.

Thus, unlike the periodic system of elements, a series of stresses in metals is not a reflection of the general Regularity, on the basis of which it is possible to give a versatile Characteristic chemical properties metals. A series of voltages Characterizes only the redox ability Electrochemical system"metal - metal ion" under strictly defined conditions: the values ​​\u200b\u200bgiven in it refer to aqueous solution, temperature and unit concentration (activity) of metal ions.

In the section on the question Active metals, what are these metals? given by the author Olesya Oleskina the best answer is Those that donate electrons most easily.
The activity of metals in the Mendeleev system increases from top to bottom and from right to left, thus, the most active is francium, by last layer which has 1 electron located far enough from the nucleus.
Active - alkali metals (Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr)
They are inferior to alkaline earth (Ca, Sr, BA, Ra)
Stirlitz
Artificial intelligence
(116389)
They are not classified as alkaline earth

Answer from Natalia Kosenko[guru]
Those that react easily


Answer from Reader.[guru]
Rapidly oxidized in air, sodium, potassium, lithium.


Answer from KSY[guru]
Eu, Sm, Li, Cs, Rb, K, Ra, Ba, Sr, Ca, Na, Ac, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Gd, Tb, Mg, Y, Dy, Am, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu, Sc, Pu, Th, Np, U, Hf, Be, Al, Ti, Zr, Yb, Mn, V, Nb, Pa, Cr, Zn, Ga, Fe, Cd, In, Tl, Co, Ni, Te, Mo, Sn, Pb, H2, W, Sb, Bi, Ge, Re, Cu, Tc, Te, Rh, Po, Hg, Ag, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt, Au


Answer from Durchlaucht Furst[guru]
Alkali metals - elements of the main subgroup of group I Periodic system chemical elements of D. I. Mendeleev: lithium Li, sodium Na, potassium K, rubidium Rb, cesium Cs and francium Fr. These metals are called alkaline because most of their compounds are soluble in water. In Slavic, "leach" means "dissolve", and this determined the name of this group of metals. When alkali metals are dissolved in water, soluble hydroxides are formed, called alkalis.
Due to the high chemical activity of alkali metals in relation to water, oxygen, nitrogen, they are stored under a layer of kerosene. To carry out a reaction with an alkali metal, a piece right size carefully cut with a scalpel under a layer of kerosene, in an argon atmosphere thoroughly clean the metal surface from the products of its interaction with air, and only then place the sample in the reaction vessel.


Impersonal metal account on Wikipedia
Impersonal metal account

Common squirrel on Wikipedia
Check out the wikipedia article on common squirrel

Alkali metals on Wikipedia
Check out the wikipedia article on alkali metals