Which Element Is The Most Reactive Sodium, Nickel, Carbon, or Oxygen

Which Element Is the Most Reactive? Sodium, Nickel, Carbon, Or Oxygen?

Chemistry is all about how two or more elements react in an experiment, and reactivity refers to how quickly one substance reacts with another. In other words, reactivity is the ability of a matter to fuse chemically with other substances. For example, iron is highly reactive in the presence of oxygen. So, when left exposed in the open, iron appliances gradually form a reddish layer on them, which we call rust. So, by reacting with oxygen, iron creates rust, which is essentially iron combined with oxygen.

In general, elements that have low ionization energy takes more energy to remove electrons from an atom and hence, are more reactive. So, let’s analyze each of the Sodium, Nickel, Carbon, and Oxygen and find out which of these four is the most reactive.

• Sodium

The atomic number of Sodium is 11, and it has a single valence electron in the outermost shell. This electron doesn’t have a strong bond with the nucleus, so it has an extremely low ionization energy. So, it is quite easy to remove the electron. Therefore, Sodium can be classified as an element with extremely high reactivity.

This is why Sodium is often used to create various compounds, common salt or NaCl being the most common. Sodium is also highly reactive in the presence of compounds containing oxygen, for example, water. When Sodium is mixed with water, it reacts vigorously and produces sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. Sodium also reacts rapidly with halogens like fluorine and chlorine to form ionic compounds.

• Nickel

The atomic number of nickel is 28, consisting of four valence electrons in the outermost shell. Nickel also has low ionization energy compared to most other elements, namely platinum or tungsten. Yet, it cannot be considered as a highly reactive element.

Nickel is an inert metal, so it is resistant to oxidation or corrosion like iron. Instead of getting “eaten away” by oxygen, it reacts to form new non-metal compounds. For example, heating nickel powder in oxygen to over 400 degrees centigrade creates NiO or Nickel Oxide. Similarly, nickel and Sulphur can react to form a new compound called “sulfanylidenenickel” or Nickel Sulfide.

However, unlike Sodium, the reactions in nickel are slow and typically happen in super high temperatures.

• Carbon

The atomic number of Carbon is 6. It also has four valence electrons in its exterior shell. Carbon is one of the most common elements that can form with several elements to form different compounds. However, Carbon cannot be considered as a highly reactive element. Carbon is found in abundance in nature, and it fuses with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. But the reaction process is very slow and only happens at high temperatures.

Carbon can also react with non-metals to form compounds. For example, Carbon reacts with hydrogen to form hydrocarbons which are used in many essential products in our daily life. Propane and butane that are used in gas grills are basically hydrocarbons. Similarly, Carbon can react with nitrogen to form Cyanogen or Carbon Nitride. But these reactions are not vigorous in nature like it happens with metals.

• Oxygen

The atomic number of oxygen is 8, and it has six valence electrons in the outermost layer. Oxygen is highly reactive in nature and is a common element for several chemical reactions, like respiration or combustion. Yet, it never gets considered as the most reactive element among these four elements.

Oxygen tends to bond with many elements easily and is highly electronegative. So, its ionization energy is quite high, making it unlikely to react vigorously like Sodium.

So, in conclusion, we can say that Sodium is the most reactive element among the four options mentioned above. Sodium has the lowest ionization energy among these four and can easily form compounds with other elements. Carbon, nickel, or oxygen doesn't react as fast as Sodium. Carbon and nickel are inert materials, so they never are as reactive as Sodium. While oxygen, despite being quite reactive, is not as reactive as Sodium.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What do reactive elements need to do to be stable?

Ans: Usually, if there are more atoms in the outermost shells of an element, they tend to be more stable and react less. So, if any reactive element has at least eight valence electrons in its outermost shell, it can be deemed stable. This rule is also known as the octet rule, and its most common examples are – Krypton (Kr), Argon (Ar), Neon (Ne), and Xenon (Xe) or the noble gases.

2. How do valence electrons affect reactivity?

Ans: The outermost shell of an atom is called the valence shell. The electrons that are present in its outermost shell are termed the valence electrons. When these valence electrons are loosely bound, they can be easily moved. That way, they move further away from the nucleus. So, when two atoms interact, these electrons are the first ones to get in contact with each other, and this determines how the element will react during a chemical reaction.

3. What happens when an element is reactive?

Ans: In chemistry, reactivity refers to the speed at which chemical substances experience a chemical reaction. It is a relative tendency of elements to lose or gain electrons during a chemical reaction. When the elements are highly reactive, the said element tends to add or lose electrons rapidly and gets converted to a new compound.

4. Which elements are highly reactive?

Ans: In chemistry, the elements in the Group 1A of the periodic table tend to be highly reactive elements. Hydrogen, Sodium, Lithium, Potassium, Cesium, Rubidium, and Francium are all alkali metals. (Except Hydrogen). They are all shiny and soft, melts at low temperatures and react rapidly when exposed to air.

5. Which elements are the least reactive?

Ans: Helium is an inert gas that is completely odorless, colorless, tasteless, and non-toxic. This element hardly reacts with any other elements and is considered to be the least reactive element among non-metallic elements.