CHEMISTRY WORKSHEET NO.

3 SAMHA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

Chapter no.11: Reactivity series and Metals
21) May 2013 [33] Q (5_a)
5 All metal nitrates decompose when heated. A few form a nitrite and oxygen.
Most form the metal oxide, oxygen and a brown gas called nitrogen dioxide.
(a) (i) Name a metal whose nitrate decomposes to form the metal nitrite and
oxygen.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Complete the equation for the action of heat on lead(II) nitrate.
......Pb(NO3 )2 
→ ......... + ......NO2 + O2
[2]
(iii) Suggest why the nitrate of the metal, named in (a)(i), decomposes less
readily than lead(II) nitrate.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
22) Nov 2013 [31] Q (2_b)
(b) The following metals are in order of reactivity.
potassium
zinc
copper
For those metals which react with water or steam, name the products of the
reaction, otherwise write ‘no reaction’.
potassium ...........................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
zinc .....................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
copper ................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [5]
23) Nov 2013 [32] Q (4_a)
4 For centuries, iron has been extracted from its ore in the blast furnace. The
world production of pig iron is measured in hundreds of million tonnes
annually.
(a) The following raw materials are supplied to a modern blast furnace.
iron ore which is hematite, Fe2O3
limestone which is calcium carbonate
carbon in the form of coke
air

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

Describe the essential reactions in the blast furnace. Each of the four raw
materials must be mentioned at least once. Give the equation for the
reduction of hematite.
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....................................................................................................................... [6]
24) Nov 2013 [32] Q (6)
6 The following reactivity series shows both familiar and unfamiliar elements
in order of decreasing reactivity. Each element is represented by a redox
equation.

Two of the uses of the series are to predict the thermal stability of compounds
of the metals and to explain their redox reactions.
(a) Most metal hydroxides decompose when heated.
(i) Complete the equation for the thermal decomposition of copper(II)
hydroxide.
Cu(OH)2 
→ ............... + ............... [1]
(ii) Choose a metal from the above series whose hydroxide does not
decompose when heated.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(b) (i) Define in terms of electron transfer the term oxidation.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Explain why the positive ions in the above equations are oxidising agents.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(c) (i) Which metals in the series above do not react with dilute acids to form
hydrogen?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Describe an experiment which would confirm the prediction made in (c)(i).
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(d) (i) Which metal in the series above can form a negative ion which gives a
pink / purple solution in water?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Describe what you would observe when zinc, a reducing agent, is added
to this pink / purple solution.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
25) Nov 2013 [33] Q (3_a, b, d)
3 The main uses of zinc are preventing steel from rusting and making alloys.
(a) The main ore of zinc is zinc blende. Zinc blende consists mainly of zinc
sulfide, ZnS.
There are two major methods of extracting zinc from its ore. They are the
direct reduction of zinc oxide to zinc and by electrolysis. In both methods, zinc
oxide is made from the zinc sulfide in the ore.
(i) How is zinc oxide made from zinc sulfide?
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Write an equation for the reaction used to reduce zinc oxide to zinc.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(b) In the electrolytic method, zinc oxide reacts with sulfuric acid to form
impure aqueous zinc sulfate. This solution contains Ni2+, Co2+ and Cu2+ ions
as impurities.
(i) Write the equation for the reaction between zinc oxide and sulfuric acid.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Nickel, cobalt and copper are all less reactive than zinc. Explain why the
addition of zinc powder removes these ions from the solution.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(d) (i) Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Suggest two reasons why brass is
often used in preference to copper.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(ii) Sacrificial protection is a method of rust prevention. Explain in terms of

electron transfer why steel, which is in electrical contact with zinc, does not
rust.
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....................................................................................................................... [4]
26) May 2014 [31] Q (5)
5 Zinc is obtained from the ore, zinc blende, ZnS.
(a) Describe the extraction of zinc from its ore, zinc blende. Include at least
one balanced equation in your description.
............................................................................................................................
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....................................................................................................................... [5]
(b) State two major uses of zinc.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
27) May 2014 [31] Q (7_a, i, b, iii, iv)
7 One way of establishing a reactivity series is by displacement reactions.
(a) A series of experiments was carried out using the metals lead,
magnesium, zinc and silver.
Each metal was added in turn to aqueous solutions of the metal nitrates.
The order of reactivity was found to be:

magnesium most reactive

zinc

lead

silver least reactive

(i) Complete the table.

= reacts
= does not react

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(b) (iii) The following table gives the polarity of cells using the metals zinc,
lead, copper and manganese.

What information about the order of reactivity of these four metals can be
deduced from the table?
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(iv) What additional information is needed to establish the order of reactivity of
these four metals using cells?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
28) May 2014 [33] Q (4_a, b, iii)
4 Iron from a blast furnace contains about 5% of the impurities – carbon,
silicon, phosphorus and sulfur.
Most of this impure iron is used to make steels, such as mild steel, and a very
small percentage is used to make pure iron.
(a) Calcium oxide and oxygen are used to remove the impurities from the iron
produced in the blast furnace.
(i) State how these chemicals are manufactured.
calcium oxide .....................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
oxygen ...............................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................[3]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(ii) Describe how these two chemicals remove the four impurities. Include at
least one equation in your answer.
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....................................................................................................................... [5]
(b) (iii) Mild steel is an alloy of iron and carbon.
Suggest why mild steel is harder than pure iron.
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
29) Nov 2014 [31] Q (3_b)
(b) One source of sulfur dioxide is burning sulfur in air.
Describe how sulfur dioxide can be made from the ore zinc sulfide.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
30) Nov 2014 [31] Q (4)
4 Iron is extracted from the ore hematite in the Blast Furnace.

(a) The coke reacts with the oxygen in the air to form carbon dioxide.
C + O2 
→ CO2

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(i) Explain why carbon monoxide is formed higher in the Blast Furnace.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(ii) Write an equation for the reduction of hematite, Fe2O3, by carbon
monoxide.
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) (i) Limestone decomposes to form two products, one of which is calcium
oxide.
Name the other product.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Calcium oxide reacts with silicon(IV) oxide, an acidic impurity in the iron
ore, to form slag.
Write an equation for this reaction.
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(iii) Explain why the molten iron and the molten slag form two layers and why
molten iron is the lower layer.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(iv) Suggest why the molten iron does not react with the air.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(c) Iron and steel rust. Iron is oxidised to hydrated iron(III) oxide, Fe2O3.2H2O,
which is rust.
(i) Name the two substances which cause iron to rust.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Explain why an aluminium article coated with aluminium oxide is protected
from further corrosion but a steel article coated with rust continues to corrode.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(d) There are two electrochemical methods of rust prevention.
(i) The first method is sacrificial protection.
Explain why the steel article does not rust.

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

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....................................................................................................................... [4]
The second method is to make the steel article the cathode in a circuit for
electrolysis.

(ii) Mark on the diagram the direction of the electron flow. [1]
(iii) The steel girder does not rust because it is the cathode. Reduction takes
place at the cathode. Give the equation for the reduction of hydrogen ions.
....................................................................................................................... [2]
31) Nov 2014 [32] Q (2_d)
(d) A major use of aluminium is the manufacture of pots and pans. One
reason for this is its resistance to corrosion.
(i) Explain why aluminium, a reactive metal, is resistant to corrosion.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Suggest two other reasons why aluminium is suitable for making pots and
pans.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
32) Nov 2014 [32] Q (4_a, b, i)
4 Zinc is an important metal. Its uses include making alloys and the
construction of dry cells (batteries).
(a) Name an alloy which contains zinc. What is the other metal in this alloy?
name of alloy ......................................................................................................
other metal in alloy .............................................................................................
[2]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(b) The main ore of zinc is zinc blende, ZnS.

(i) The ore is heated in the presence of air to form zinc oxide and sulfur
dioxide.
Write the equation for this reaction.
....................................................................................................................... [2]
33) Nov 2014 [32] Q (6_c)
(c) When a mixture of sulfur and potassium nitrate is burned and the products
are dissolved in water, sulfuric acid is formed.
(i) The sulfuric acid formed by this method is not pure. It contains another
acid.
Deduce the identity of this acid.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) The heat causes some of the potassium nitrate to decompose.
Write the equation for the action of heat on potassium nitrate.
....................................................................................................................... [2]
34) Nov 2014 [33] Q (6_b, ii, c)
(ii) Complete the equation for the decomposition of strontium carbonate.
SrCO3 
→ ............ + ............
(c) Metal nitrates decompose when heated.
(i) Rubidium nitrate decomposes as follows:
2 RbNO3 
→ 2 RbNO2 + O2
What is the name of the compound RbNO2?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) The nitrates of most other metals decompose in a different way.
Complete the equation for the decomposition of strontium nitrate.
....... Sr(NO3 )2 
→ ............ + 4 NO2 + ............
[2]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

35) May 2015 [31] Q (2)

2 Iron from the Blast Furnace is impure. It contains about 5% of impurities,
mainly carbon, sulfur, silicon and phosphorus, which have to be removed
when this iron is converted into steel.
(a) Explain how the addition of oxygen and calcium oxide removes these
impurities. Include an equation for a reaction of oxygen and a word equation
for a reaction of calcium oxide in this process.
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[5]
(b) Mild steel is the most common form of steel. Mild steel contains a
maximum of 0.3% of carbon.
High carbon steel contains 2% of carbon. It is less malleable and much harder
than mild steel.
(i) Give a use of mild steel.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Suggest a use of high carbon steel.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(iii) Explain why metals are malleable.
............................................................................................................................
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....................................................................................................................... [3]
(iv) Suggest an explanation why high carbon steel is less malleable and
harder than mild steel.
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............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

36) May 2015 [32] Q (6_b, i, iii, c, i)

(b) All nitrates decompose when heated. The extent to which a nitrate
decomposes is determined by the metal in the salt.
(i) Sodium nitrate decomposes to form sodium nitrite, NaNO2.
Write the equation for decomposition of sodium nitrate.
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(iii) Copper(II) nitrate decomposes to form copper(II) oxide, nitrogen dioxide
and oxygen.
What is the relationship between the extent of decomposition and the
reactivity of the metal in the nitrate?
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(c) The equation for the decomposition of copper(II) nitrate is given below.
2 Cu(NO3 )2 
→ 2 CuO + 4 NO2 + O2
(i) Predict what you would observe when copper(II) nitrate is heated.
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [3]
37) May 2015 [33] Q (5_a, b)
5 The law of constant composition states that all pure samples of a compound
contain the same elements in the same proportion by weight.
A typical experiment to test this law is to prepare the same compound by
different methods and then show that the samples have the same
composition.
Methods of making copper(II) oxide include:
• heating copper carbonate,
• heating copper hydroxide,
• heating copper nitrate,
• heating copper foil in air.
(a) Complete the following equations.

(i) CuCO3 
→ ............. + ............. [1]

(ii) Cu(OH)2 
→ ............. + ............. [1]

(iii) 2Cu(NO3)2 
→ ............. + 4NO2 + ............. [1]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(b) Copper oxide can be reduced to copper by heating in hydrogen.

(i) What colour change would you observe during the reduction?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Explain why the copper must be allowed to cool in hydrogen before it is
exposed to air.
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(iii) Name another gas which can reduce copper(II) oxide to copper.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(iv) Name a solid which can reduce copper(II) oxide to copper.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
38) Nov 2015 [32] Q (3_a, b, d, e)
3 Two of the main uses of zinc are for galvanising and for making alloys.
One of the main ores of zinc is zinc blende, ZnS. There are two stages in the
extraction of zinc from this ore.
(a) Stage 1 Zinc oxide is made from zinc blende.
Describe how this is done and write a word equation for the reaction.
............................................................................................................................
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....................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) Stage 2 Zinc oxide is reduced to zinc.
Write a word equation for the reduction of zinc oxide by coke.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(d) Brass is an alloy which contains zinc.
(i) Name the other metal in brass.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Suggest two reasons why an alloy such as brass is preferred to either of
its constituent metals.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(e) In an experiment to investigate the rate of rusting of steel, three pieces of
steel were used. One piece of steel was completely coated with copper, one
piece completely coated with zinc and the third piece was left uncoated. All
three pieces were left exposed to the atmosphere.
(i) Explain why the uncoated piece started to rust.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(ii) The coating on both of the other two pieces was scratched, exposing the
steel.

The piece of steel coated with zinc still did not rust but the copper-coated
piece of steel rusted very rapidly.
Explain these observations in terms of the formation of ions and the transfer
of electrons.
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39) Nov 2015 [32] Q (5)
5 Iron is extracted from its ore, hematite, in a blast furnace.
Substances added to the furnace are:
• iron ore, hematite, containing impurities such as silica, SiO2
• air
• coke, C
• limestone, CaCO3
Substances formed in the blast furnace are:
• molten iron
• molten slag
• waste gases such as carbon dioxide
(a) State the two functions of the coke used in the blast furnace.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) Write an equation for the conversion of hematite, Fe2O3, to iron.
....................................................................................................................... [2]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(c) Explain how the silica impurity is removed and separated from the molten
iron.
............................................................................................................................
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............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [3]
(d) The molten iron from the furnace is impure.
It contains impurities which include the element carbon.
Explain how the carbon is removed. Include an equation in your answer.
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [3]
40) Nov 2015 [33] Q (6)
6 A reactivity series of metals is given below.

(a) Which two metals will react most vigorously with cold water?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(b) Which two metals will not react with dilute hydrochloric acid?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(c) Deduce the formula of iron(III) sulfate.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(d) What is the formula of a magnesium ion?
....................................................................................................................... [1]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(e) Describe a test-tube experiment which will show that manganese is more
reactive than copper.
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [3]
41) May 2016 [42] Q (3_d)
(d) Alloys of gallium and other elements are often more useful than the
metallic element itself.
Suggest two reasons why alloys of gallium are more useful than the metallic
element.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]
42) May 2016 [42] Q (6_a, b, c)
6 Zinc is extracted from an ore called zinc blende, which consists mainly of
zinc sulfide, ZnS.
(a) (i) The zinc sulfide in the ore is first converted into zinc oxide.
Describe how zinc oxide is made from zinc sulfide.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Write a chemical equation for the reaction in (a)(i).
....................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) Zinc oxide is converted into zinc. Zinc oxide and coke are fed into a
furnace. Hot air is blown into the bottom of the furnace.
Zinc has a melting point of 420 °C and a boiling point of 907 °C. The
temperature inside the furnace is over 1000 °C.
(i) Explain how zinc oxide is converted into zinc. Your answer should include
details of how the heat is produced and equations for all the reactions you
describe.
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....................................................................................................................... [3]
(ii) Explain why the zinc produced inside the furnace is a gas.
....................................................................................................................... [1]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(iii) State the name of the physical change for conversion of gaseous zinc into
molten zinc.
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(c) Rusting of steel can be prevented by coating the steel with a layer of zinc.
Explain, in terms of electron transfer, why steel does not rust even if the layer
of zinc is scratched so that the steel is exposed to air and water.
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43) May 2016 [43] Q (1)
1 The diagram shows a blast furnace.

(a) The following equations represent reactions which take place in the blast
furnace.

(i) Which reaction is used to increase the temperature inside the blast
furnace? ........... [1]
(ii) Which reaction is an example of thermal decomposition? ........... [1]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

(iii) In which reaction is carbon both oxidised and reduced? ........... [1]
(iv) Which equation shows the removal of an impurity from the iron? ...........[1]
(v) Which equation shows the reaction of an acidic substance with a basic
substance?........... [1]
(b) Use the diagram of the blast furnace to help you answer these questions.
(i) What enters the blast furnace at X?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) What leaves the blast furnace at Y?
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(iii) Name two waste gases that leave the blast furnace.
1. ........................................................................................................................
2. ........................................................................................................................
[2]
(c) The graph shows how the malleability of iron changes as the percentage
of carbon in the iron changes.

(i) Describe how the malleability of iron changes as the percentage of carbon
changes.
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [1]
(ii) Iron obtained from the blast furnace contains high levels of carbon.
Explain how the amount of carbon in the iron can be decreased.
............................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................... [2]

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Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Classified Paper_4_Topic 11

44) Nov 2016 [42] Q (6_c)

(c) Give two uses of aluminium and give a reason why aluminium is suitable
for each use.
use 1 ..................................................................................................................
reason ................................................................................................................
use 2 ..................................................................................................................
reason ................................................................................................................
[4]

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