Can Two Elements Be Equally Reactive?

It is a known fact that every element on the periodic table is reactive (only excluding some of the noble gases and noble metals). But, can two metals be equally reactive?

Instead of going all theory, let us consider an example. Suppose there are two elements X and Y. X is in its free state while Y is in the form of a sulphate, say YSO4. Let us assume both X and Y to be equally reactive. So, what would happen to the reaction?

Let me brush up some chemistry facts right now. Firstly, let us depict the reaction as follows:

If X is more reactive than Y, the products of the reaction would be XSO4 + Y. But, if Y is more reactive than X, no reaction will take place.

Now, to the main point. In reality, it is not possible for two elements to be equally reactive. This fact is explained below.

We all know that all atoms of elements have electrons revolving around the nucleus. The fact of the matter is that all atoms have different amount of electrons i.e. no two atoms have the same number of electrons (We exclude isoelectronic species). But, one might also say that only the valence electrons (Electrons which revolve in the last shell of the atom) take part in the reaction. This is true. Furthermore, there are more than one elements having equal number of valence electrons. So, how do we resolve this dilemma?

For this, let us consider another example. Carbon and Silicon both have 4 valence electrons. So, they should be equally reactive. No! Not at all. Firstly, let us consider their atomic structures.

From this, we see that in carbon, there is only one shell before the valence shell (the shell which carries valence electrons). However, in silicon, there are two shells before the valence shells. Thus, there is a stronger force of electrostatic attraction between protons and electrons in silicon compared to carbon, making it more difficult to remove electrons in the former than the latter.

There is one more explanation to this question. We know that elements in the periodic table are arranged according to their reactivity (Reactivity reduces as one moves from left to right in the table). So, if two elements had to be equally reactive, they would have to coincide on the periodic table, which is not possible.

So, in conclusion, it is not possible for two elements to be equally reactive. However, what if an element was made to react with its own kind, like Iron (Fe) reacting with Iron (II) sulphate (FeSO4)? That’s a question for another article!!

So, how did you feel? Did you get the sudden itch to study the periodic table even more? Feel free to comment in the Comments section.

Author: Venkata Bhamidipati