Metals react differently. Some are very reactive and others are unreactive. Observations of reactions can be used to put metals into an order of reactivity. For example, copper is unreactive so it can ...

The reactivity series is a list that shows the order of reactivity of some common metals. Calcium (Ca) Reacts vigorously with strong heating. Brick red flame observed and white solid formed. 2Ca + O 2 ...

Water is an almost unavoidable element in surface chemistry—in some cases essential, and in others undesirable. The nature of water interactions with metal oxides is a topic of special interest for ...

These days talking about bombs will get you locked up or put on an NSA watch list. Back when I was in high school it could be a science fair project. These days you need a college degree to play with ...

For decades, science enthusiasts have delighted at the famously energetic way sodium and potassium explode on contact with water. Researchers in Europe now show that the long-accepted explanation for ...

In nature, the behavior of systems—whether large or small—is always governed by a few fundamental principles. For instance, objects fall downward because it minimizes their energy. At the same time, ...

It’s the classic piece of chemical tomfoolery: take a lump of sodium or potassium metal, toss it into water and watch the explosion. Although this piece of pyrotechnics has amazed generations of ...

The golden metallic water layer on a sodium-potassium alloy drop. Courtesy: Phil Mason A metallic water solution has been observed in the laboratory for the first time thanks to a new method that ...